The Cell
by foxyfeline
Summary: JJ & Morgan have been kidnapped by a sadistic unsub who gets pleasure out of torturing his victims physically as well as emotionally. Will they come out of the ordeal the same people they were before? Rated M to be safe
1. Chapter 1

**Ok don't panic, I haven't given up on It's What They Did. This fic just popped into my head the other day and I felt extremely compelled to write it. I still intend to finish IWTD and am actually hoping writing this story will jog my creativity for it.**

**Now, moving on to this story, things might be a little confusing at first because I am switching from the present to the past and back again throughout the first few chapters. So wording in BOLD is the present, italics represent thoughts and regular font is flashback(s) to the past.**

**Confused yet? Lol**

**Enjoy!**

**Morgan held JJ close as she shivered against the cold chill that hung in the air of the concrete cell that had become their home. He moved a stray piece of hair from her face and watched her for signs of discomfort. Her whimpers of pain had finally died down and she seemed to have fallen asleep, mostly out of exhaustion. The last session with Watkins had been one of the more brutal ones since they had been taken by him nearly 4 months ago. One would think being in a cold, dark, dank, cellar lit only by a small 60 watt light bulb would cause a person to lose track of time. But Morgan was able to track the date and time since Watkins had let him keep his watch. For Watkins, the torture wasn't in the not knowing, the torture was in the fact that his victims knew exactly what was coming and were powerless to stop it. So he had let Morgan keep his watch in an effort to break him and let him know exactly how long he was in control.**

**JJ shifted slightly next to him in an obvious effort to alleviate pressure on what were probably a couple of broken ribs. Loosening his grip just enough to be sure he wasn't hurting her, Morgan thought back to their shared nightmare **

Harvey Watkins had been one of the most detailed and coordinated unsubs the team had even encountered. When they took the case in Colorado they all thought the unsub they were chasing was a recent killer, meaning he would have had a stressor not too long ago and began killing soon there after. However, they couldn't have been more wrong. It turned out, as the investigation progressed, that the unsub was far from being a rookie. He had actually been kidnapping, torturing and killing young woman for nearly 12 years and his victims totaled up to a number near 15 based on the pattern. Well, they could confirm at least 15. This unsub was shaping up to be one of the worst serial killers the team had ever investigated.

The original profile had the unsub as a white male in his mid to late 40's who probably had some type of physical disability that hindered his motion because all the victims showed signs of long term drug exposure and being restrained which told them he wasn't, even though many of the women were small in stature, completely capable of exerting total physical control over them without some help. He would be outwardly charming yet arrogant. He would own a large SUV or van which would give him the space needed to transport the bodies once he was ready to dispose of them. He would have had a recent stressor, one that probably involved a woman who had authority over him. There were no signs of sexual assault which meant what got this unsub off was the torture itself. His gratification came from making the women submit and having total power over them.

Several victims' bruises and wounds showed signs of healing, meaning the unsub kept them for a considerable amount of time. He never took more than one at a time or picked up his next victim until he had dumped the last one. However he had no clear set time table for how much time he spent with the women. Some victims were kept for weeks while others kept only a few days. If the team was going to catch him they would have to do it soon because it seemed like the unsub could be very patient if needed and wait them out.

The last victim who was dumped the day after they arrived but take two days before their arrival had showed all the usual signs of the other victims indicating it was the same unsub but Reid noticed the time spent with her was extremely small and she showed very little bruising. The unsub had instead opted for a quick death by slashing her throat instead of a slow one. Going back and looking at the victim previous to this one, they noticed she too showed the same lack of bruising and quick mode of death. Something, once they discovered he was a long time serial killer all of them found extremely unsettling. It told them he was growing tired of his current methods and probably wanted a new challenge which made him very dangerous and extremely unpredictable.

Watkins had always been so careful not to leave any evidence behind on his victims, something which allowed him to continue to kill for so long but it seemed as he got bored he got a little careless too. He had left a fingerprint on the latest victims belt buckle. Garcia was able to identify Watkins since he was in the Colorado corrections database stemming from a bar fight he was in 8 years earlier where he stabbed a man with a broken beer bottle after the man slashed his arm with a knife he had been carrying. It was the only blemish the man had on his record and after serving 6 months in prison he was released and then promptly disappeared.

Garcia was unable to locate any properties or bank accounts in his name the man was totally off the grid. Something that was hard to believe because he had been profiled as being disabled so he had to be getting money to live from somewhere.

Coming up empty after having been on the case for nearly two weeks, Hotch decided a press conference releasing the profile and details of his crimes to the public would be the team's best bet of getting fresh leads. The hope was someone somewhere out there would recognize the man being described and call in.

As usual JJ was perfect. She had the press eating out of her hands and held the vultures off as they demanded answers and more information. They were obviously all very scared and had every right to be there was a very dangerous and meticulous serial killer living in their neighborhood. It was, on their part a scare tactic meant to get the press talking about the unsub and therefore warning and educating the public on what to be aware of and look for. It worked too. A woman came forward who said she knew a woman who, in a support group described an ordeal with a man who kidnapped, held her hostage and tortured her. Unlike all the other victims this woman had survived.

Her name was Stephanie Long a middle aged single woman who still lived in the area. They tracked her down but the woman was reluctant to speak with them at first or even leave her home. She had changed her appearance and her name but was still living in fear that the man would come back to finish what he started and after seeing the press conference her fear had only heightened. When they did finally convince her to speak with them, Stephanie was able to tell them she met the man while working on the streets. She had a pretty bad meth habit back then and was doing almost anything to feed her habit. She thought him to be just another paying john. He was nice enough she said, polite even but deep down there was something about him that was off to her but she was so desperate to feed her habit that she ignored her instincts and got into his van. She said they drove for a while discussing what she was up for and how much it would cost before he pulled into a deserted parking lot and they moved to the back of the van. She remembered she tried several times to get him in the mood but she was unsuccessful. Finding it odd he remained so calm as most men would have gotten frustrated by that point she asked him what usually "helped" get him in the mood. He just smiled at her. The smile though she said sent a chill down her spine and before she could react he had her by the throat and stuck a needle in her arm.

When she woke up they were in a dark cement cellar of some kind. He kept her drugged the majority of the time while he beat her and kept ordering her to "submit" to him. He would taunt her, telling her he was going to break her, that he was in control of her life and the only way for her to survive was to submit to him. Oddly though he had never touched her sexually but he did masturbate after she finally broke down and said she would submit to him. Hotch asked her how he knew she had finally broken down but Stephanie had no answer for that.

After she had broken down, she had expected him to kill her or at the very least drug her again but he didn't. Instead he simply walked out of the room and left her alone for what felt like days. When he finally did come back, he drugged her and the next thing she remembers clearly was waking up in the hospital. There, the police told her he had dumped her in an alley in the part of town where he had picked her up. He been left for dead but a homeless man scrounging for food found her and had the decency to call 911. As they were leaving she told them one thing she thought she remembered but was never quite sure on and it always bothered her, was the sensation of bouncing up and down while in the van as if they were off road. She always chalked the sensation up to her being drugged but it bothered her none the less.

_At the time Morgan too chalked up the bouncing sensation to her being drugged but after having experienced it for himself, he knew it was real. _

After the interview with Stephanie the whole team was convinced she was Watkins first victim. His only mistake with her had been she had survived and when no one came looking for him it gave him a sense of empowerment and freedom to do it again and he never made the same mistake he made with Stephanie again.

JJ told Stephanie to stay in touch and call if she remembered anything else that might help them.

A few days later Stephanie contacted JJ to tell her she remembered more and asked if she would come by to discuss it. She didn't want to leave her home nor did she want to speak on the phone in fear someone could be listening. Stephanie was not only extremely scared she was extremely paranoid as well. Hotch agreed to let JJ go since the woman had felt comfortable speaking with the young agent when they were there the first time and as a precaution he sent Morgan along with her.

_In hindsight, they should have put Stephanie under surveillance but the local police were just stretched far too thin at the moment and they couldn't spare the men or the time. If they had been able to watch Stephanie's home they probably would have caught Watkins the second he walked onto her block and he and JJ would have avoided the situation they were in. _

At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary at Stephanie's house but when no one answered their repeated knocking they became concerned. Looking through a side window, Morgan noticed several pieces of overturned furniture which signaled to him something wrong. Automatically drawing their guns on instinct they entered the house through the front door which was oddly left unlocked, another sign something was wrong.

After entering the house, Morgan went to the back to inspect the bedrooms while JJ went to the living room and kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen JJ was shocked to find Stephanie Long laying a pool of her own blood. She was very obviously dead and JJ was about to call for Morgan when she felt the tell tale prick of a needle in her neck and everything went black. Her body then fell to the floor with a loud thud.

When he heard the thud from the other room, fear gripped Morgan and without thinking he quickly moved through the house failing to secure his surroundings as he went. His sole focus has been to get to JJ and when he found her unconscious on the kitchen floor he should have immediately checked his surroundings because if he had he would have seen Watkins coming up behind him and been able to stop him from tasing him into unconciousness.

**JJ whimpered in his arms as she shifted to her side in order to alleviate the pain of her more than likely broken ribs. Hoping to help calm her, Morgan ran his hand gently along the side of her face. It seemed to work because she settled into a position and her whimpers died down again. Morgan silently cursed the son of a bitch Watkins for making them endure all they had and testing the bounds of their friendship. They both knew from the very first session with Watkins that nothing would ever be the same with and between them ever again. He prayed the team would find them soon because while they had held out for this long, he wasn't sure how much longer they could endure of the mental and physical torture Watkins sadistically enjoyed putting them through.**

**Ok that is chapter 1! Please, please be sure to review and let me know what you think. This is my first attempt at writing this type of story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok so I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and aren't too confused between the time changes. Have to admit there were times I confused myself!**

**Thanks for the reviews…be sure to keep those coming!**

Morgan rolled over onto his back and tried to fight against what was quite possibly the worst hang over he had ever had in his life. Staring at the ceiling he waited for the fog to lift from his brain and once he noticed the ceiling was made of concrete everything came crashing back to him and he jerked off the ground into a sitting position. Although as soon as he had done it he wished he hadn't because the sudden movement made his stomach roll and he nearly threw up on himself.

"Well looked who finally decided to join us"

Whipping his head in the direction of the voice, Morgan met the gaze of the sadistic serial killer who had an entire city gripped with fear.

"We were waiting for you to wake up" Watkins smiled before moving aside to reveal a bound and gagged JJ who was bleeding from a cut above her eye. There was also the tell tale signs of the beginnings of a black eye forming around the same eye.

Morgan quickly forgot about his ailing head and attempted to lunge for Watkins but as soon as he stood up he noticed his ankle was shackled to a metal plate which was dead bolted to the floor. He wasn't going anywhere. Morgan feebly yanked at the chain but he was unsuccessful in breaking free and Watkins simply laughed at him from across the room.

"I don't think you are quite strong enough to break a 3 inch thick chain Agent Morgan"

Morgan stopped tugging and looked at Watkins in confusion as to how the had known his name. Watkins merely smiled and held up his credentials for him to see before tossing them unceremoniously into the corner.

"Now that you are awake we can really begin the fun" He turned away from Morgan and without warning punched JJ square in the face. The force of the punch caused JJ to recoil and fall backward onto the hard cold floor. She wasn't down for long though as he yanked her up by her hair removed her gag and brought her face to within inches of his. "You will submit" he said to her and then looked over at Morgan "you both will. I will own both of you" He left go of JJ's hair and then kicked her in her side causing her curl into a ball on the floor. While she didn't hear anything crack, it definitely knocked the wind out of her. She didn't have time though to catch her breath because he rolled her over onto her back quickly cut her bindings and handed her a small key. He leaned in close to her again and whispered "we'll play again soon." He then winked at Morgan and walked out of the cell leaving them alone.

To say she was confused was an understatement. JJ was sure Watkins was going to beat her the way he had beaten those other women but as soon as he started, he stopped. He told he wanted Moran to be awake, that it would be more fun if he were. She may not have been a profiler but she had spent enough time with them to know that Watkins had seriously deviated from his usual pattern by taking both of them and involving both of them in his sick games. Looking down at her hands, JJ's confusion grew as she noticed what Watkins had handed her was a small key, probably to the lock attached to the shackle on Morgan's ankle.

"Why would he give me this?" she whispered hoarsely to herself.

"JJ. JJ are you ok?"

She looked over at him and immediately recognized the fear and concerned for her in his eyes. He kept struggling against the shackle he didn't know she had the key to unlock it. Ignoring the pain in her side, she slide herself on the floor in his direction and reached out her hand that held the key. "I don't know why he gave this to me but open the cuff it is starting to dig into your skin"

Taking the key from her, Morgan couldn't help but crack a small smile for she was the one laying on the floor bleeding with a possible concussion and bruised ribs and she was concerned about his ankle getting chaffed? _She never ceases to amaze. _Once the shackle was off his ankle he quickly moved to her side and began assessing her injuries. There was a lump beginning to form on her temple telling him she more than likely did have a mild concussion. She hissed when he touched it and he felt bad for inflicting more pain on her. "I need to check your ribs"

JJ bit her lip and nodded before lifting her shirt up slightly "I don't think he broke anything. I didn't hear anything crack and honestly he just kicked me hard enough to knock the wind out of me" Morgan looked at her as if he didn't believe her "trust me, I have harder kicks player soccer"

Morgan ignored her and gingerly inspected the small bruise which was already beginning to take shape.

"Not that I'm complaining but why are we _both_ here? He has never taken two people before this is all way off from the profile"

"Yeah it is"

Things from that point on had only gotten worse and continued in a similar pattern. Watkins would enter the cell, threaten them with one of their own guns and force Morgan to shackle his ankle himself and then bind JJ before choosing one of them to wail on while the other was forced to watch. Occasionally he would beat both of them at the same time but those instances were few and far between. JJ always got just a little more than Morgan did though. Watkins seemed to enjoy watching him emotionally suffer while he liked to see JJ physically suffer.

He would always say that they would submit and eventually he would have total control over them. And little by little he did gain control over them. They hadn't realized it until one day during their 7th week there when an opportunity arose for them to escape. It was after a particularly brutal session for JJ and while Morgan was comforting her he noticed Watkins hadn't locked the door to their cell. It was always the same, once he was done with them he would leave and then the tell tale sound of the dead bolt sliding into place could be heard. This time when he left there was no dead bolt sound. He knew in the back of his mind that it was probably a trick but he was not about to let an opportunity to get the hell out of their prison go by.

He tried to lift JJ and carry her but Watkins while he had been generous with allowing them to use the facilities which were built into their cell he had not been very forthcoming with food that contained a lot of proteins so Morgan barely had enough strength to keep himself on his feet let alone carry JJ's weight even if she had lost nearly 10 pounds.

"Go" she whispered

"No I am not leaving you here" he insisted as he again tried to carry her more than two feet without collapsing in a heap on the floor.

"Morgan you are too weak to carry me and I am in no position to run. You need to go and bring help back"

"JJ, I…"

"Please….go" she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. She didn't want to be the reason he didn't take an opportunity for one of them to escape because she knew he would try and carry her but she knew they would get no where.

He hesitated and opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Instead he leaned in a placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before heading for the door. Slowly pulling it open so not to make too much noise Morgan glanced back at JJ one more time before slipping out of the room into the hallway. He made sure to close the door behind him so if Watkins returned he wouldn't immediately notice one of them was gone thus giving him more time to get away.

He walked down the dimly lit hallway towards the small beam of light that was shining through what he assumed to be a door to the outside world. As he got closer to the door though his body began to shiver from the cold air, they were after all in Colorado. When he reached the door he listened intently for any sounds of movement on the other side. When he was confident he didn't hear anything, he climbed the few steps there where and pushed the door open. Given his weakened condition the door was almost too heavy for him and he nearly fell down the steps but he was able to regain his footing and push the door all the way opened.

When he finally got outside though his heart sank at the sight before him. They were surrounded for as far as his eyes could see by woods and there was nearly four inches of snow on the ground. He thought for a moment on what to do, he wasn't sure what direction he should go in. Which direction would bring him to that bumpy road they had traveled in on? Deciding he couldn't stand there all day and that JJ was depending on him to find help he picked a direction and limped off that way.

He had to move gingerly because he had managed to severely sprain his ankle, although he was fairly sure he had torn a ligament when he struggled to free himself from his shackle when Watkins tortured JJ with a lit cigarette burning her forearms and hands. It was the first time he had moved beyond using his fists and feet to hurt her and the mere thought of hearing her screams turned his stomach. That paled in comparison though to watching him flog her with a whip. Amazingly he only opened her skin in two spots but those two spots bled heavily for hours and Morgan feared they would get infected if not treated. But true to part of his profile, Watkins had given him clean towels, water and gauze to treat her wounds. He even gave them a sleeping bag to share since the weather was getting colder. The man was exerting his power and showing them that just as fast as he could hurt, he could help too.

He was broken from this thoughts by the sound of a branch breaking somewhere behind him. Quickly turning in the direction of where he thought the sound had come from he was mildly relieved when there was no one there. But his joy quickly flat lined when he heard Watkins voice call out to him. Forgetting his injured ankle Morgan began to ran but he was weak and the snow had covered several downed branches and tree trunks and in his haste to escape he tripped over one and fell flat on his face.

Feeling a searing pain in his wrist he rolled over onto his back clutching the injured appendage to chest. He didn't know if it was broken or not but it definitely hurt like hell. He tried to sit up but before he could react a boot collided with his head and he fell back to the ground unconscious.

Watkins laughed and leaned in close to the unconscious agent "you were just too predictable Agent Morgan" Slinging the unconscious man over his shoulder as best he could given his own injured leg, Watkins carried him back to his cabin, back to his cell.

For punishment for his escaping Watkins repeatedly shocked JJ with a cattle prod all the while telling him over and over it was all his fault she was going through what she was. Rationally he knew it wasn't true but his guilt won out and begged Watkins to stop telling him he was sorry and that he would never attempt to escape again. Watkins was now almost in complete control.

Thankfully the cattle prod had been set to its lowest setting and while it hurt like hell JJ never lost consciousness. As soon as Watkins left Morgan ran over to her and gathered in his arms rocking back and forth and repeated over and over how sorry he was.

**Well there ya have it…please review because they make me happy and they keep me writing. ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok this chapter is shorter than the other two but I felt it was perfect as is. Hope you are all enjoying reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it!**

After punishing JJ for Morgan's escape attempt Watkins left them alone for nearly two weeks. He would occasionally bring them food but more often than not he never came down to their cell. He was trying to break them emotionally. Actually in the end Watkins succeeded in pushing them closer to each other. He told himself he would never attempt to escape again if it meant JJ would be punished over him. And there would be at least two more opportunities for him to do so.

Once she recuperated from the cattle prod incident and it took JJ almost two days to convince Morgan to listen to her when she told him it wasn't his fault. She told him it was Watkins fault they were in the position they were not his.

Morgan admitted to her he was afraid of what was going to happen next and that he was afraid he would be the reason she got hurt again. He swore to her that as long as he was able he would protect her even if it meant sacrificing himself. He told her he cared about her too much to watch her suffer. JJ told him she didn't want to be the reason for his death or the reason for his guilt that she too cared too much for him to be the cause of his suffering. Morgan hugged her to his body tightly. He had taken to sleeping with JJ in his arms in the sleeping bag to keep them warm but also to keep her close and safe.

JJ could feel the stress was getting to both of them and emotionally they were both on the brink of breaking. Needing an emotional connection, a sense of hope, something happy to hold on to JJ turned around inside the sleeping bag so they were face to face.

Morgan stared deep into JJ's eyes. He could see the same uncertainty and need he felt reflected in them. He looked down at her lips and then back to her eyes which never wavered from his. He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand "JJ" he whispered when she closed her eyes at his touch. He knew what this was what she wanted. He felt it too.

"Derek" she whispered as she leaned forward and captured his lips with hers.

The kiss started off slowly as if they were testing how far they could handle going without breaking. Willing his mind to shut off Morgan made the first move wrapping his other arm around her waist while running his tongue along her lips asking permission for entrance.

Without any hesitation she granted his tongue entrance into her mouth and the kiss that had started off slowly and lazy had turned into a fast and furious duel for supremacy. It was the relief they needed. A connection that let them know they were both still alive. For the first time in weeks they both felt a surge of energy and passion. They both knew this was wrong that this was the last time and place to be doing this but their need for everything that made them human outweighed their sense of right and wrong.

Moving slowly as not to injure her, Morgan gently laid JJ down on her back never once separating his lips from hers. Feeling her tense up he broke off the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers.

"You ok?" he asked between heavy breaths.

Reaching up to caress his face in her hands she nodded "yes the floor is just cold" she could tell he wanted to say something but she didn't give him a chance to she just pulled his face to hers and reconnected their lips. She could feel his hands snake under shirt she arched off the floor further into his touch ignoring the protest of her injured ribs.

Removing her hands from his face and moving them to his belt she undid it and quickly reached into his pants. Feeling her hands in his pants Morgan bucked his hips and moaned. When he felt her begin to push them down his legs he broke off their kiss

"JJ are sure?"

"Yes" she whispered

It was all the confirmation he needed and he quickly removed his hands from under her shirt and down to the hem of her pants. Mimicking her actions he unbuttoned her pants and pulled them down as far as he could.

He entered her slowly and both of them sighed. They stayed like that for several moments savoring the feeling of being connected to another. Taking the rolling of her hips as a sign, Morgan began to slowly thrust in and out of her as he built up a steady pace. He wanted this to last as for the time they were joined as one they weren't stuck in the hell hole that was their cell. When they climaxed Morgan kissed her deeply in order to muffle both of their screams. As they rode out their orgasms they clung to each other like lifelines. Neither wanted to be the first one break contact but eventually they separated and got dressed.

JJ reached out and took his hand in hers "hey don't"

Morgan looked at their joined hands and then at her "I…" He was conflicted. Before this ordeal his feelings for JJ bordered on being romantic if fact he had admitted to Garcia once that he pondered what it would be like to be with her. He found himself thinking more and more about JJ in a not so professional way and Garcia told him if he tried he wouldn't be disappointed. At the time he didn't know what she meant but looking at JJ now he realized that his feelings might not be as one sided as he thought.

"It's ok"

Morgan squeezed her hand and pulled her into his lap and that was how they fell asleep, her wrapped up in his arms.

Little did both of them know though they had an audience during their sexual encounter. Harvey Watkins had watched the entire thing and while he was happy he now had something to leverage against them he was also disappointed because his plan to break them emotionally had failed. His anger and need for control implored him to barge into the room and teach them a lesson but the calculating deviant part of him told him he needed to regroup and make a new plan.

Over the next several sessions, every time Watkins entered their cell over the course of 2 1/2 weeks he could see a renewed sense of vigor and fight in their eyes. He also noticed Morgan's determination to not have JJ removed his grasp or side. Watkins had to settle for hitting both of them instead of being able to focus in on one. Every time he pushed Morgan away the man scraped his way back to the woman. If he wasn't so numb to the sensation of love he probably would have found it quite endearing. Instead it just made him sick and angrier. He left their last session determined to find a way to detach the young man from JJ long enough for him to have some fun. Of all the women he had had over the years this young blonde lasted the longest and it fueled him made him even more determined to break her and to break her in front of Morgan. He wasn't sure what taking both of them would do for him but the old saying was apparently true, 'double your pleasure, double your fun'

**Ok I know that the sex scene wasn't all that detailed but this fic really isn't about that. As it goes forward you will realize that this more about the aftermath of their ordeal with this crazy ass man. **

**Please review and let me know what you think of it so far and suggestions are always welcome.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you everyone for the great reviews…please definitely keep those coming. As I said this fic is more about their recovery than the actually torture itself so sorry if some feel like I might be skimping out that part.**

**As usual, I don't own Criminal Minds…although I wish I did! Lol**

Morgan awoke to the sensation of JJ being violently pulled away from him and when he opened his eyes he barely could see Watkins standing above him holding JJ up by her hair. He hadn't turned on the light in the cell so Morgan had no idea he idea he had entered. Growling he started to get up but Watkins knocked him with a kick to see face. Blood squirting from his nose he attempted to get up again he then felt pain spread through his thigh as if someone had punched him there. Suddenly he began to lose feeling and control of his body. He couldn't move a muscle but he was wide awake; Watkins had drugged him with a paralyzing agent.

Laughing he kicked and stomped on Morgan enjoying the fact that he was hurting him but Morgan could do nothing to stop him. "How does it feel Agent Morgan to have no control over your body but have your mind fully intact? Feel helpless?"

Morgan grunted at him as it was the only thing other than breathing that he had any power to do. Watkins merely laughed at him. He made eye contact with JJ who was terrified at his current state.

"What did you give him?" he heard her ask

"I gave him a neuromuscular block. Surgeons used it post operation to help patients deal with the pain. Normally it is used on certain nerves and specific parts of the body but if given a big enough dose, it causes total paralysis throughout the whole body. That is what your dear Derek is experiencing. He can hear us breath and even grunt but he can't move a muscle"

On cue Morgan grunted again

"Don't worry it isn't permanent. I only gave you enough to be like for about 20 minutes. Which is more than enough time for you sit back and watch while JJ and I have some fun. See after our last few sessions I knew I had to find a way to keep you incapacitated yet aware of what was going on and then I remembered this drug that could do just that. Getting it wasn't easy but when it's worth it you do anything necessary right?"

Morgan looked at him with a mixture of fear and anger. He had promised JJ he would protect her and once again he had failed. He feared for her but was angered at Watkins.

"Morgan this isn't your fault" she yelled to him as Watkins pulled over to the other end of the room "do you hear me? This isn't your…ahhh."

Her statement was cut off by Watkins hitting the back of knee with a metal pipe and then her side. She for sure heard one of her ribs crack. Once on her knees he dropped the pipe on the floor wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed tightly, cutting off the air flow to her brain.

JJ gasped for air. Her lungs were burning while her brain screamed for oxygen. She clawed and punched Watkins as hard as she could in an effort to get him to loosen or release the grip he had on her throat. But she was losing the battle as dark spots began dancing before her eyes and her grip on his forearm became slack as her energy was depleted. She could hear Morgan grunting as loud as he could and just as she was about to completely lose consciousness Watkins released his hold on her throat. The air rushed back into her lungs and she got lightheaded from the surge of fresh air being rushed to her brain.

"Well that was entertaining" Watkins mocked as he moved away from JJ and over to the incapacitated Morgan. Leaning in close so only Morgan could hear him he whispered in his ear "tell me, how was it to screw her? Cuz I have to tell you it was enjoyable to watch"

Morgan's eyes went wide in shock the sick bastard has watched them have sex. He begged his body to work and move but nothing happened no matter how hard he concentrated on the act. Tears began to form in his eyes out of desperation.

"Don't go anywhere, I have to take care of something" Watkins mocked before leaving Morgan and going back to JJ. "Agent Jareau, JJ. Can I call you JJ?"

"Fuck you"

Watkins laughed "No I do believe that act is reserved for Derek over there"

JJ looked at him in total shock alternating her gaze from him to Morgan and back to him. "You're sick. You get off on torturing people for pleasure. Why? Yours doesn't work?" She knew she probably shouldn't be taunting him that it could only end badly for her but she was to the point where she didn't care anymore.

Watkins back handed her so hard it sent her sprawling onto the floor. His anger at her challenging him propelled him and grabbed her hair punched her and then slammed her head into the concrete floor knocking her unconscious. When he was done getting his anger out on her he went over to Morgan and kicked him several times in the stomach before storming out of their cell.

JJ lay unconscious not 5 feet from him and Morgan could do nothing but lay there and pray she wasn't mortally wounded.

He felt like he had been lying on the floor for an eternity but after about 20 minutes Morgan began to regain sensation in his body. With each passing minute that his extremities revived he inched his way over to JJ. Five feet took five minutes but by the time he finally reached JJ, Morgan had nearly feeling back in his body.

"JJ"

He noticed her breathing was shallow and her pulse was thready but she was alive. Carefully he pulled her against him and waited for her to wake.

**Present time**

JJ shifted slightly next to him in an obvious effort to alleviate pressure on what were probably a couple of broken ribs. She had yet to fully wake from her beating and he was becoming extremely concerned. This was the longest she was ever unconscious and Morgan was beginning to wonder if Watkins had done irrefutable damage to her.

Running his fingers through her hair and pleaded with her to wake up "C'mon baby you gotta wake up. You are starting to scare me here"

He could hear footsteps approaching apparently Watkins had left the door to their cell open. As the footsteps got louder Morgan could feel his rage building. He had had enough of all this shit and he was ready to muster every ounce of strength he had to kill the son of bitch.

Spying the discarded metal pipe on the floor next to them, he gently laid JJ down on the floor picked up the pipe and readied himself for a fight. The door slowly swung open and a figure stepped into the room. Too far gone in anger and rage to notice who it was Morgan yelled and swung as hard as he could. He managed to connect with the figure but his weakened state left little force behind the swing even in his enraged state.

The figure yelled out in pain as the pipe struck his back and he fell to one knee in front of Morgan. He made ready to swing again but another figure entered the room and yelled out to him

"Morgan stop it's us. Rossi and Hotch" Rossi yelled as he held up his hands to show his friend and teammate he meant them no harm. "Hotch you ok?"

"I'm going to have one hell of a bruise but yeah I am fine"

Dropping the pipe Morgan quickly moved back to JJ and wrapped his arms around her creating a protective cocoon around her. Rossi took a step towards them and Morgan flinched away.

Both men looked at each other in shock Morgan had no idea who they were. All he cared about was protecting JJ

Hotch looked around the dimly lit cell and noticed a light switch on the wall behind Rossi. "Dave turn on the light, he can't see us"

Turning around Rossi slowly moved to the light switch and flicked it on. Once the room was illuminated, Rossi wished he had left the light off. There were had wet and dry puddles of blood splattered through out the room and Rossi nearly lost his breakfast when he took in the sight of his friends. JJ was covered in bruises and bleeding profusely from several wounds on her head and Morgan nose looked as if it might be broken and even though hugged JJ close Rossi could see there was something wrong with his wrist. He looked over at Hotch who had much the same expression on his face.

Hotch put his gun back in its holster and slowly knelt in front of Morgan so not to startle him. "Morgan its Hotch"

As soon as the light flicked on and he saw Hotch and Rossi standing there Morgan knew that rationally he should have felt relieved but instinctively he couldn't relax. In fact he was so tense that if one of the men even motioned to JJ right at the moment he was ready to defend her.

"Hotch" he muttered

"Dave go and get the paramedics"

"NO!" Morgan yelled hugging JJ closer. He held her so tight she let out a whimper of pain

His outcry startled both men and they looked at each other both at a loss for words.

"Morgan listen to me" Hotch started as he motioned for Rossi to quietly exit the room and get the paramedics "no one is going to hurt you or JJ. We're here to rescue you"

"No one touches her Hotch" Morgan replied through gritted teeth as he stared his boss and friend down.

Hotch had never seen Morgan react like this. Sure he had no idea what happened during their time locked in this cell but Morgan's reaction to him and Rossi confused him. Most kidnapped victims were either totally relieved to see their saviors or were so completely far gone that they lost touch with reality didn't say a word and went along with what was happening in a daze. Morgan showed signs of both. "Morgan she needs a doctor"

Morgan looked up at Hotch with uncertainty for he knew his friend wouldn't hurt either him or JJ but he just didn't want to let him near her.

Hotch was about to say something when Prentiss and Reid burst into the room startling Morgan and causing him to pull himself and JJ farther into the corner of the room. Again JJ whimpered in pain but didn't wake.

"Morgan" whispered Reid who up until that moment had been so thrilled to see his friends again especially JJ. Everyone knew she had a special place in her heart for the genius and him the same for her. Their friends had often wondered if what Reid felt for JJ was more than the type of love that a deep friendship creates or if he truly loved her.

Morgan's breathing began rapid and he refused to look at anyone but Hotch "Leave"

"Morgan..." started Hotch

"Make them leave, NOW!"

Prentiss and Reid who had been frozen with shock at the appearance of their friends, recoiled when Morgan yelled at them to leave. They had spent 4 months searching for their friends and now they were floored to find one of them didn't want anything to do with them.

"Prentiss, Reid leave"

"Hotch" Reid started but Hotch just gave him a look that said 'don't argue with me'

"C'mon Reid let's go" Prentiss said taking Reid by the arm and starting for the door

"Slowly Prentiss" warned Hotch. Morgan was already on edge and he was sure too many quick movements would only make his agitation worse.

Emily looked from Hotch to Morgan and what she saw broke her heart. Derek Morgan was afraid of them and yet he looked at her with the softness of a child. As soon as they left, Rossi re-entered alone.

"Hotch the medics are right outside"

"Watkins" muttered Morgan

"What?" asked Rossi

"Watkins, where is he?"

Rossi looked to Hotch for confirmation on whether or not to tell him. Hotch nodded giving him the go ahead "He's dead. He tried to take on the SWAT team that was standing outside, he lost"

"He can't hurt either of you anymore" Hotch said as he attempted to take a step towards Morgan but Morgan flinched away.

Morgan looked down at JJ in his arms "I'm sorry"

Hoth wasn't sure if he was apologizing to them or to JJ. When Morgan looked up at him sheepishly and it dawned on Hotch "Rossi are any of the medics a woman?"

"Yeah why?"

Hotch didn't answer him "Send her and Prentiss in"

"Hotch?" Rossi was confused, he had seen the looks on both Reid and Prentiss's faces as they exited the room moments earlier and he heard Morgan yell at them so he couldn't figure out why Hotch wanted Prentiss back

"Women" was all he said never breaking eye contact with Morgan

"Right, ok" Rossi stepped out of the room and not a moment later a small woman who couldn't have been more than 5'5" cautiously stepped into the room followed by Emily.

Hotch moved away from Morgan and towards the women "approach him slowly and Prentiss give me your gun"

Emily looked at him in shock did he actually think Morgan would do something like that? "You don't think he would…?" The look in Hotch's eyes gave her the confirmation she needed and she slowly handed him her firearm.

"We'll be right outside" he said before leaving the room

Emily looked at Morgan and noticed him visibly relax the moment Hotch stepped out of the room. Looking then to the paramedic signaling her to follow her lead she began to approach Morgan.

"Morgan it's me Emily. This is Melissa, she's an EMT and she is gonna check you and JJ out ok?"

Morgan didn't say anything he just sized up the young woman who looked absolutely terrified. She had obviously never dealt with anything like this before. He didn't say anything but his grip on JJ loosened slightly and Emily took that as a sign the paramedic could move in.

"Slowly go over"

"Ok" the young woman replied with a small squeak in her voice. Her knees were visibly wobbling as she approached the two FBI agents.

Morgan watched cautiously as the young woman set her bag down on the floor and kneeled in front of him and JJ. When she slowly inched closer to check JJ out Morgan made eye contact with her and even though she was terrified she managed to smile softly at him. Looking into her eyes, it was then that Morgan realized their imprisonment was finally over and they had beaten Watkins.

**Ok so there you go! They have finally been rescued but believe me their ordeal is far from over. **

**Please remember to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok so this chapter introduces an original character of my creating. She is a therapist named Melanie Masters who specializes in victims of abuse, kidnapping, torture, rape etc. My other original character, EMT Melissa is briefly around in the beginning.**

**Now I am not nor do I think I am a shrink so if I screw up or don't correctly represent a mental diagnosis please forgive me. Same goes for any medical diagnosis or procedures I might make reference to. Give me a little leeway here it is fiction after all. Lol**

**Once again italics indicate private thoughts**

**Thank you again for all the reviews!**

**Don't own them, even though I wish I did! ;)**

**Now on with the chapter…**

Morgan refused to leave JJ's side even for the ride to the hospital. It had taken Prentiss and Melissa nearly an hour to get him to allow JJ to be put on a stretcher and taken outside. Thankfully Hotch had pushed back any male presence as far as he could but Morgan still saw them and it caused him to become very agitated. Upon Melissa's suggestion, they backed the ambulance up as close as they could to the basement's entrance thus blocking his view of the many of the surrounding men.

It had worked, that is until the male paramedic who had been driving decided to get out and help instead of staying in the driver's seat like he'd been told to. Seeing the young man, Morgan grabbed onto JJ's stretcher, held it from traveling any further and literally snarled at the guy to back off. Looking as if the young man was about to pee himself, he turned around and disappeared around the other side of the ambulance and got back in the driver's seat. Thankfully there was a partition that could be closed so he wouldn't be seen as he drove.

Even though he was injured and in need of medical attention himself Melissa, who now seemed to be in charge of the situation since Morgan seemed to semi trust her allowed him to travel with her and JJ in one ambulance to the hospital. While Morgan refused to let any male near JJ, he also refused to let any male near himself. Even Prentiss, who was a woman, had a slightly difficult time getting close to him.

Once at the hospital, things got even tenser between Morgan and the medical staff. Even though Hotch had called ahead to explain the situation and request a psychiatrist be there the doctor on call was a male who handled Morgan's behavior the opposite way anyone knew it should be handled.

The arrogant doctor would soon regret his decision to be, well, an arrogant doctor.

Dr. Melanie Masters had no idea what to expect when she got the call to rush to the hospital for an emergency psych consult and possible psych admittance. At first she wondered why they called her when she knew Dr. Conway was on call and more than capable of handling a simple consult.

Upon her arrival Conway told her who was being brought in and in what condition. She immediately recognized their names as being the two FBI agents who had gone missing while investigating a serial killer in the area four months ago. It was all over the news about how the FBI had officially taken over once they went missing and hadn't left any room for argument by the local police force. It made even more sense now to her why she was called in. She was the foremost expert in dealing with kidnap, torture, and abuse and rape victims in the western half of the country.

Dr. Conway felt it best for all involved is she handled the agents from the moment they were brought into the hospital. And upon meeting Derek Morgan and hearing what he and Jennifer Jareau went through while held hostage from their teammates she knew she was going to have her hands full.

The first obstacle had been getting Morgan to allow nurses and doctors to treat both his and JJ's injuries. The attending physicians on call wanted to sedate and restrain Morgan long enough to examine him and Masters argued against that course of action but the doctor didn't want to hear it and went ahead with his plan. That is, until Morgan broke the nose of a male nurse who was attempting to restrain him. Using the commotion of the injured nurse as a distraction he then rushed to JJ's side and warned off anyone who wanted to get close to them.

Seeing exactly what Agent Hotcher had described to her she immediately took charge of the situation citing her patient's reactions possibly putting the staff in danger she had all the male staff leave and be replaced with only female staff. This seemed to calm Morgan down but he still refused to be separated from JJ's side. She quickly deduced the fact JJ was unconscious probably only made things worse. Deciding the situation wouldn't be able to be handled using conventional methods, Masters decided to be unconventional. Every case she came across was different and given what these people did and saw everyday and went through, she knew this wasn't going to be cut and dry.

She was able to convince Dr. Long the female attending doctor assigned to Morgan and JJ to allow Morgan to accompany JJ to get an X-ray and CAT scan. Normally the answer would have been hell no but they already had one broken nose on their hands, they definitely didn't need another or worse. Not to mention it was the frickin FBI, Dr. Long was left with little options but to comply.

Masters figured she won one battle the next would be to get Derek Morgan to trust her enough to go along with the plan. To her surprise he quietly agreed. In fact the idea alone seemed to further calm him down. She could tell immediately given his answer that he was rational enough to understand what was being said to him and what was going on around him which was a good sign. Yet, given what he had gone through an odd one. Victims of such violence normally retreat into themselves, avoid eye contact and can barely articulate what they want. Morgan was the complete opposite. To her it just seemed his instincts were outweighing or controlling the rational part of his brain that told him they were safe. She wondered if Agent Jareau would react the same way when she woke.

Even more curious than his behavior towards her was Derek's behavior around his teammates. He failed or refused to make eye contact with any of them, Emily Prentiss included. She could read that it wasn't the type of avoidance one sees from a patient or victim who might blame those they counted on for protection or help but one that was sheepish, almost to the point where he looked embarrassed to look at them.

It had taken nearly two hours but once they were both x-rayed and CAT scanned, JJ had a severe concussion with mild swelling of her brain, two broken ribs, one which had she moved a certain way would surely have and could still puncture her lung along with a ton of cuts and bruises while Morgan had a sprained wrist, broken nose, several of his own cuts and bruises and a severely sprained ankle they were taken to the ICU. They attempted separate rooms in order to further examine both of them, more JJ for signs of sexual assault but again Morgan adamantly refused. In fact in a show of his adamancy he pulled JJ out the bed nearly ripping her IV out in the process in an effort to back them against the wall of the room.

Masters observed with the speed in which Morgan fled that the action must have been common practice in their cell. More than likely as a protective instinct to be able to see what was coming or buy time to protect themselves.

His reaction was a small set back because even though Morgan seemed to have some semblance of trust in her, he wouldn't allow her to separate them even if she promised to stay with JJ the whole time. Although in her observance of his behavior in that moment she wondered if Morgan's need to protect JJ was but one facet of his overall behavior. They were together in that cell and while JJ was worse off, he had his fair share of injuries. It became clear that not only did he want to protect her he didn't want to be alone himself.

It was decided, well argued mostly that Morgan and JJ would share one room at least until she felt confident one or both could handle being alone. After all only 6 hours had passed since their rescue and she had barely spoken to Morgan and not at all to JJ. Their friends on the other hand had a lot to say. _Just because they were profilers didn't mean they knew everything about human behavior. _She thought to herself.

So after telling them, especially Agent Hotchner that their friends were her patients and to back the hell off she went and sat at the foot of JJ's bed to observe them and to see if Morgan had anything to say.

While she had been anxious to hear what he had to say Masters took the silent time between them to study the man's body language and behavior.

First thing she noticed was that he situated himself next to JJ facing the window yet he rarely looked in that direction and when he did it was more of a 'peek' then an actually look. He also never once made eye contact with those outside and when he did 'peek' in that direction, he would shift uncomfortably in his chair and grip JJ's hand tighter. His actions were almost child like.

Second thing she noticed was the care in which he held JJ's hand, brushed back her hair and the uncertainty in his eyes when he switched his gaze from her to her surrounding monitors.

Masters was about to break the heavy silence when movement outside the room seemed to catch Morgan's attention and he quickly rose from his chair. Immediately following his gaze she saw that one of their teammates, the one she knew to be Dr. Reid had approached the window. His breathing became rapid and his eyes kept darting from the figure in the window to the open door of the room as if he should ready himself to flee should the young man enter the room. Dr. Reid seemed to pick up on his friend's change in demeanor because he quickly backed away.

As soon as she looked back to Morgan she again saw the expression of embarrassment on his face as he let out a large sigh and hung his head as he sat down. Looking out the window for herself she could see the team pacing slightly and shifting on the balls of their feet. They were just as anxious as Morgan but for different reasons. They had spent four months searching and now that they had found their friends they wanted nothing more to comfort their friends not just for them but also for themselves. It was part of the healing process. A process she seemed to be slowing down in their eyes and she had garnered more than one stern look from Hotch since she sat down but she was not about to rush things, even if they were the FBI. She had learned over the years not to pusher patients not how open or 'in the moment' they appeared to be. Morgan might be rational right now but there was no telling how he would react if pushed too hard.

She decided to go things her own way, "Derek" She waited for him to look at her or glance her way any sign that would indicate to her she had his attention. He turned and looked her right in the eye. _Good he feels comfortable enough with me to make full eye contact_ She studied his eyes, it was both imposing and determined yet there was almost an innocence to them. He was obviously having an inward emotional struggle with himself and being the alpha male meant Morgan had to be strong and imposing but what he and JJ had gone through at the hands of Harvey Watkins had dulled that down. It was more than likely one of the reasons he acted embarrassed and sheepish around his teammates. "Would you like me to close the door?"

He glance from her to the window to the door and finally back to her before nodding "yeah"

Rising slowly, Masters walked over to the door made eye contact with those outside and slowly shut it. She stood there and watched as Morgan seemed to visibly relax a little. Seeing how visible his reaction was she decided to do something else she thought would help him relax because if he was tense or "on alert" he would be less likely to open up her. So without asking she went to the window and abruptly shut the blinds.

"Much better" she said as she walked back to her chair. "No offense to your friends but having them stare at me especially Agent Hotchner makes me uncomfortable" She purposefully broke the ice with her own opinion about the window so he wouldn't think he had to agree with her every time she asked him if he wanted something. She had wanted to convey the situation to be more of a conversation and less like an inquisition. "You know anything you say to me will stay between us"

Morgan glanced towards the window before looking at her

"I am only obligated to give them assessment of my opinion of how you are. I will not tell them anything unless you give me permission to. The same applies for Agent Jareau when she wakes up"

"JJ" he muttered

She leaned forward in her chair "I'm sorry?" She hadn't fully caught what he had said

"JJ. She likes to be called JJ"

She smiled and took it as a small breakthrough. "Ok JJ it is then" Normally this would be where she makes a note of that on her pad but given she wanted the session to feel less like a shrink session and more like a conversation she didn't bring it with her.

"When is she going to wake up?"

"Should be any time now. Dr. Long told me that while she has a severe concussion and mild swelling of her brain there is nothing stopping her from waking up. This is just her body's way of healing"

Morgan opened and shut his mouth

"Take you time. I'm not here to judge you just to help you"

She hadn't really expected to get much further than that but he surprised her again by taking the first step

"I know they won't hurt her or me but I just can't help it"

"That's natural" He looked at her slightly bewildered, "what you and JJ went through was something no two people should have to experience or endure. You spent four months just the two of you locked in a cell, your desire and need to protect her and yourself is only natural" She watched his reaction before deciding to push just a tab further "you have nothing to be ashamed of"

"I couldn't protect us. He beat us, JJ more so and taunted us and I was powerless to stop him"

"You feel like you failed?"

He nodded

"Who do you feel you failed? Yourself? JJ? Your team?" The mention of the team got a reaction so she continued on them "do you think they think less of you because you couldn't stop Watkins?"

"No"

She was taken aback by his answer. She had expected a yes answer that his feelings of failure were causing him to feel embarrassed and even shameful "then why?"

"I know I shouldn't be afraid of them but every time they come close I panic"

It finally dawned her "you feel embarrassed because of the _way_ you are reacting to their presence?"

He nodded "It's foolish"

"No it's not Derek. You are supposed to be the strong one, the protector or enforcer if you will and your instinctual reaction to the _gender_ of who hurt is not cowardly or foolish. Sometimes our instincts over rule our rationality there is nothing with that. It may take some time but it will pass. The first thing you need to do is to stop feeling foolish about it. Let it happen."

She could read his inward struggle to decipher what she had just told him. However, she felt there more it than that. Perhaps JJ's point of view would help her understand more. Right now Morgan's concern and focus at the moment was with JJ and not her so she decided to leave them alone and wait for JJ to wake up before going any further. "Morgan I am gonna take a break, let you spend some time alone with JJ. If that's what you want?" Because I could send Agent Prentiss in if you want some company" While he was feeling foolish towards his teammates, Emily Prentiss was a woman and her presence might calm him.

"No we're fine"

She immediately picked up on his use of "we." It had only been four months in captivity but Derek Morgan and Jennifer Jareau had become very co-dependent on each other. She was definitely going to have to wait for JJ to wake in order to go deeper. As she went to open the door she had a thought "would you like the door open or closed?"

Without looking up at her replied "closed"

She nodded and quickly left the room while he had admitted to feeling foolish, his reactions to certain situations told her a lot more than his words. As soon as the door clicked shut behind her the team was all over her.

"What did he have to say?" asked a very anxious Emily Prentiss

"Why did you close the door and blinds?" asked a slightly unhappy Hotch

That was it, she had had enough of them looking over her shoulder and criticizing her methods. "First off" she started looking at Prentiss "I can and will only tell you what I think is relevant to whatever report you intend to write about this or whatever I think you should know. My priority is to them and unless they tell me I can tell you what was said, you are only getting my assessment of the situation" Several of them start to say something but she put a hand up stopping them. "Secondly" she started this time looking at Hotch "I closed the door and blinds because it made him more comfortable. For the last four months they have been locked in a cell alone. Not to mention that all of you staring at him made him anxious"

"What relevance does the door have?" inquired Rossi

"My guess, they used it as an early warning system"

They all looked at her dumbfounded

"You said they were kept in a cell in the basement of an old house?" They all nodded "well I would assume then the door too was old and more than likely creaked or made some kind of significant noise when opened and closed. The noise would have given them a chance to react so they weren't taken by surprise"

Finally one of them asked her the question she had been dreading them asking

"Why does he seem to be afraid of us? Asked Reid

Taking a deep breathe Masters answered the best way she could without giving away too much of what he had told her "It's instinctual. He is more reluctant to be around me for the reason that is was a man who tortured them. He knows rationally he shouldn't be but instinctively he feels the need to protect them. I'm fairly confident that when she wakes up JJ will react in a similar if not the same exact way. They've become co-dependent on each other in that cell, in a way, it was them against the world"

"How long until JJ wakes up?"

"Soon. There is nothing keeping her from waking up her body is just in the process of healing itself"

"You said he fears men then why can't Prentiss go in?"

_Damn profilers _she thought. "I asked him if he would mind if Agent Prentiss came in and sat with them but he said no, he was fine"

They looked at her confused looks because she really hadn't answered their question

"You have to understand they were alone in that cell for four months. For a certain amount of time they will want to be alone with each other, it is what will make them feel more comfortable. Them against the world remember"

"I know this is not a question you wanted asked but…"

"Don't ask me to put a time table on their recovery Agent Hotchner because it's not going to happen. While Morgan is rational there is no way to tell what JJ's state of mind will be once she wakes and how that might affect Morgan. And separating them right now will not happen. Now, I am going to get some coffee, do not disturb them"

As she walked away she hoped none of them would do anything stupid. She understood they were anxious to see their friends who they had spent so much time and energy searching for but Morgan and JJ were priority not their anxiousness or feelings.

**Don't worry, JJ will be waking up in the next chapter I promise.**

**Please remember to review…I like them a lot :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**I love all the reviews thank you all so much for letting me know you what you think of the story, I appreciate it.**

**I would just like to reiterate that this story is fiction and in no way represents any real person or event. For those of you who might be wondering…JJ was NOT and will NOT be raped in this story. The sex with Morgan was consensual from beginning to end. **

**If you have a concern with something I would appreciate a direct PM or signed review so I can clear up any misunderstandings or things that may have been misconstrued. **

**I know I may not always be completely accurate in my depictions and again it was not my intention to offend anyone who may have gone through anything said or done in this story. I merely wanted to tell a story.**

**But if you or anyone you know has gone through something horrific like what is depicted here, please talk to someone. Seek help. There are many support groups and people out there who are willing to listen and help you. **

**So please enjoy this chapter and if anyone else feels the way this reviewer does please let me know and I will discontinue writing this story because the last thing I want to do is hurt or offend someone.**

Her shoes clicking on the linoleum floor echoed off the walls of the empty hallway as she hurriedly made her way to Morgan and JJ's room. She had just sat down in her office after arriving at the hospital when she got the call JJ had woken up. Thankfully no one was really around this early in the morning so the trip from her office took less time than normal. She tried to hurry as fast as her legs would allowed because knew what the invasion of a bunch of doctor's and nurses in their room would do to Morgan she moved as fast as she could in heels because she really didn't want a repeat of yesterday's incident with Morgan's fist and a nurses nose.

Relieved to see their teammates hadn't arrived at the hospital yet, it was too early to be subjected to another one of their inquisitions she took a position in the doorway and observed the situation from there. She noted Morgan managed to remain fairly calm given the commotion and some of his relief seemed to stem from her standing there but as soon as two more nurses joined Dr. Long in their room Melanie could see him tense up to the point where he looked strung tighter than a string on a violin and that any moment he was going to snap. He was overwhelmed.

Surprisingly he let them move him over to his own bed while they assessed JJ. However his anxiousness at being there was starting to show as she watched him bob his head from side to side attempting to get a look at JJ through the moving bodies. To an unknown observer it looked like Morgan was just a curious on looker but she knew different. He was looking for an opening, an opportunity that would allow him to get to JJ's side where he felt most comfortable.

Shifting her gaze to JJ she could see the young woman wanted the same thing as Morgan and even though the doctor's and nurses poked and prodded her, her gaze never wavered from Morgan's. Her eyes looked at him pleading and frightened her body was tense and it was obvious from her white knuckled grip on her bed sheet that she wanted to flee at the first opportunity given to her but she was frozen with fear. She was reaching out to Morgan for help with her body language.

As soon as her gaze shifted back to Morgan to see how he was reacting JJ's obvious discomfort JJ had found the opening she'd been waiting for and thrust the heel of her hand into the jaw of one of the nurses knocking her on her ass. She then began to thrash and struggle against the hands that tried to hold her down. Seeing they were only making the situation worse for themselves Morgan and JJ Masters was about to suggest Dr. Long that her and her team back off but a fast moving blur in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

The dark blur was Morgan, he had taken advantage of the opening JJ created and lunged towards her bed quickly grabbing her and pulling her away from those holding her down and cradled her head against his chest. JJ in turn clung to him like a lifeline and the more the doctor's tried to calm them and reassure them it was ok the more anxious and agitated they both became.

Seeing his nostrils flare and is face contort in anger, Melanie could see that the string holding Morgan together was about to snap. "I think it best if everyone backed off and left the room" she yelled which made everyone in the room freeze but no one made the move to leave. She looked over to Dr. Long for assistance.

While concerned about her patient's well being, Dr. Long trusted her friend's opinion and assessment of the situation. She just wanted JJ to relax because any more violent movement could cause her broken ribs to puncture her lung and she did not want that to happen so she slowly backed away from the couple and indicated for her team to do the same. After all of them backed down and away from JJ and Morgan she looked to Melanie for how to proceed next.

"Everyone out now, please" she said softly

Dr. Long nodded and motioned to her team to leave. Once they were all out of the room Melanie quietly shut the door leaving just her JJ and Morgan alone in the room.

Morgan relaxed but JJ remained tense in his arms. She was afraid and obviously wanted to know who this woman yelling at everyone around her was. Amazingly Morgan was able to soothe her with the simple motion of running his hand along the top of her head wordlessly telling JJ they were safe in the doctor's presence.

Taking her body slacking slightly against Morgan as a sign, she introduced herself but stayed rooted in her spot by the door. "JJ my name is Dr. Melanie Masters. You're at a hospital in downtown Colorado"

JJ cocked her eyebrow at her as if to say 'duh I know' and if the situation wasn't so serious Masters might have actually chuckled at her reaction.

"Of course you know where you are that was a silly question I apologize."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to hit the nurse I just wanted her to let go"

Masters looked from JJ to Morgan to get permission from Morgan to move closer to them. Morgan nodded and she took a couple steps in their direction but stopped when JJ bit her lip indicating to her that even though Morgan had let her come closer JJ was still unsure how she felt about her.

"I'm sure she's fine." she said reassuringly. She didn't really think the nurse was fine in fact she was pretty sure JJ had knocked one of the woman's teeth out with the heel of her hand but she didn't want JJ to close off and feel even more foolish than she already seemed to so she reassured her everything was ok. Deciding to not give the blonde time to over think the situation Masters jumped right in "Morgan and I have been talking a little bit about what happened to the two of you while you were sleeping. I was hoping you and I could do the same" _Gain her trust through his _she thought to herself. Best way to get JJ to open up would be to tell her Morgan already had.

JJ remained quiet and upon hearing Morgan had been talking about their ordeal she actually avoided looking him in the eye. JJ had no idea what they had discussed but whatever she assumed it was, was either traumatic or something she deemed embarrassing enough to warrant her current reaction.

JJ attempted to sit up further on the bed but immediately grimaced and moaned as she did so grabbing her side showing her ribs were obviously bothering her.

"Are you feeling ok JJ?"

JJ nodded her head in a non-committal way telling Masters that she was indeed in pain but was too proud to admit it.

"Would it be ok if I went and got just Dr. Long to come and take a look at your injuries? It would make me feel better to know you weren't sitting there suffering" She wanted to make it seem like the idea was hers and not JJ's. It would allow the woman to hold on her to her pride and still get medical attention.

JJ looked up at Morgan for help not an answer on what to do. Masters was relieved to see Morgan's animated 'yes' head nod in response. It told her that while they were co-dependent on each other they were still equals and valued the other's wants and desires. Morgan desired for her to get help so she agreed.

"Ok I am going to step out and get her" Masters slowly made her way over to the door opened it and stepped out of the room being sure to shut the door behind her.

Once out in the hallway she was immediately, as usual overtaken by their concerned teammates. "Before you all start she hadn't said anything I only came out to get Dr. Long so she can finish giving JJ her examination." She turned her attention away from the agents to her friend and colleague "come with me" she motioned for the doctor to follow her

When they re-entered the room Morgan and JJ were talking quietly and it was more likely about how much Morgan had told her while JJ was unconscious. As soon as they were aware the two doctors were in the room their conversation abruptly came to an end and the two simply stared at them.

"JJ this is Dr. Long, she is going to take a quick at your injuries" she nodded to her colleague to take over

"Hi JJ my name is Allison and first off I just want to apologize for earlier. I'm sorry if my team and I made you feel uncomfortable, I assure you we only have yours and Derek's well being at heart. Now may I take a look and see how you are doing?"

JJ nodded

Having received permission from JJ to touch her Dr. Long then looked to Morgan for his approval. Upon getting it she slowly approached JJ being absolutely sure to follow the directions Melanie had given while outside in the hallway

***Flashback***

"_**Be sure to approach them slowly and tell them what you are going to do before you do it. If you move too quickly you may frighten them"**_

_**Allison nodded. To say she was nervous about going back into the room was an understatement. She'd heard what Derek Morgan had done to a male nurse the day before and after seeing what JJ was capable of she made sure she followed her friend's instructions to the letter.**_

"_**Always ask both of them permission to either approach or touch her. I say ask both because JJ might simply go along with the situation because she feels she has no choice but if she hears Morgan give his approval she will realize your intentions are genuine and she can trust you."**_

"_**Not a problem I do not want to piss either of them off"**_

"_**No and should either of them become defensive and agitated toward you immediately throw you hands up in a non defensive manner and slowly take one step back. Be sure to apologize but don't patronize and then be sure to ask permission to re-approach"**_

_**Long nodded it was definitely a lot to take in and remember**_

"_**You ready?"**_

"_**Not really but her injuries need to be looked at and the welfare of my patients comes first"**_

***End Flashback***

Long described in detail to both of them everything movement she made or was going to make in order to give either of them time to refuse her.

"Is that nurse ok? I didn't mean to hurt her"

Slightly taken back the young woman spoke to her yet thankful Melanie had covered the possibility of JJ asking the question, she quickly replied "I think her pride more than anything is hurt"

It was obvious JJ didn't buy it but kept her opinion to herself

Once she finished checking the bandages that covered some of the deeper cuts JJ had which required stitches Long started but hesitated before performing her next task. She needed to look at JJ's ribs but she was unsure if she should attempt to do so with Morgan right there and wasn't sure how either would react if she asked Morgan to step away. Deciding to simply bite the bullet and go for it she nervously asked "Is it ok if I open your gown to check your rib?" Even though she was nervous she made sure to look at both of the when she asked.

JJ squeezed Morgan's hand before replying "It's ok"

Allison smiled warmly at the young woman and began to open JJ's gown

Masters watched the entire exchange with extreme interest at how comfortable JJ seemed to feel with the prospect of Morgan seeing her bare chest. Co-dependency emotionally and physically to an extent demanded a certain level of trust but allowing the other to see them partially nude without any hesitation was a whole other level of trust. Something more was going on between these two she could tell.

Morgan ducked his head away and averted his gaze when Long exposed JJ's chest but again Masters could tell he was doing it for their benefit not his and JJ's.

As she inspected JJ's ribs which were very obviously broken Long came to touch a particularly sensitive spot causing JJ to hiss in pain. As soon as the hiss escaped her lips Morgan's head whipped around in her direction nostril flaring and his grip on JJ's hand tightening. Seeing his reaction Dr. Long did as she had been earlier instructed to do in this situation and immediately threw her hands up in a non defensive manner as she backed away.

"It's ok" JJ quickly said as she squeezed Morgan's hand

JJ wasn't looking at Dr. Long or Masters when she made the statement. She was looking and speaking solely to Morgan letting him know she was ok and he could relax. She smiled slightly at him to reinforce her words and Masters was totally surprised to see Morgan smile back at her.

_Oh yeah definitely something more going on between them_

JJ turned her attention back to Dr. Long and motioned for her to continue her examination

Taking out her stethoscope and placing it on JJ's chest she asked her to take a deep a breath and was a little concerned to see her wince as she did. She didn't hear any fluid or labored breathing coming from JJ lungs but that didn't mean a piece of the broken rib wasn't poking her lung "Does it hurt in general or are you having trouble breathing?"

"It just hurts. I can breathe normally but taking a deep breath, I feel it poking me"

Removing her stethoscope and wrapping it back around her neck Dr. Long contemplated JJ's words. She was confident her lung hadn't been punctured but it was obvious the young woman was in some discomfort "I am going to prescribe a mild pain killer for the pain"

JJ adamantly shook her head no and began to protest "No, no drugs"

"It would be a very mild one it won't even make you drowsy I promise"

"I think it best if we leave it for now. If JJ wants them later then you can prescribe them then"

Dr. Long looked confused JJ was obviously in a great deal of pain but when she looked at her and Morgan she could see why Masters insisted she drop the subject both looked absolutely terrified at the prospect of being drugged. "Umm that's fine just let me know if you change you mind"

Masters was 99% sure neither JJ nor Morgan would ever ask her for any pain meds no matter how much pain they might be in. She caught Long's eye and motioned for her to follow her into the hallway. She knew friend was confused and as their doctor she deserved an answer.

"You're probably wondering what that was all about with the drugs"

"You could say that. Melanie they looked terrified"

Noting the team was standing off the side and listening without actually listening to their conversation Masters continued to explain "According to their team the man who held them hostage used drugs to control and overpower them on a regular basis"

Allison nodded "That explains their fear but I can tell Agent Jareau is in lot of pain so is he for that matter to a lesser extent."

"I know but they don't trust me enough yet for me to even suggest they accept the meds. And forcing it on them will only make matters worse and make it more difficult for me to gain their trust"

"You certainly have you work cut out for you"

Masters sighed heavily she couldn't agree more "that much is totally certain"

**Please remember to review….**


	7. Chapter 7

**I have received quite a few reviews telling me how similar my story is to KDZL's "The Room." And yes, to some extent it is. I got part of the idea for this story from hers but you will see in this chapter how mine differs from hers. Thoughts are in italics.**

**And KDZL if I have ripped anything off from your story I apologize because that was most definitely not my intention.**

**Thank you all so much for reading and letting me know what you think!**

**This chapter is dedicated to **_**evilmojojo**_** for helping me stay focused and giving me ideas. Thanks girl!**

**Enjoy!**

Three more days passed before Masters was able to get the two agents to open up more about their experience. She learned their captor enjoyed torturing JJ more physically and Morgan more emotionally although he would not always strictly do just that. There were many times he taunted JJ with the prospect of killing Morgan while he was unconscious. On one occasion Watkins drugged Morgan but left JJ conscious and took one of their guns which unbeknownst to JJ wasn't loaded and held it to Morgan's head telling JJ it was her fault Morgan was going to die that because she was weak and unable to stop it, it would be her fault.

For Morgan it had more to do with Watkins showing him he couldn't protect or save JJ. He told her of the time he managed to escape but due to his injuries and mal-nourishment he was easily caught and brought back to their cell. However when he was brought back Watkins tortured JJ for escaping not him. From that point on he never attempted escape again and Masters was shocked at the level of control Watkins had over him especially based on what Morgan described to her next.

***Flashback***

_He had taken the cattle prod to her again all the while showing him he could do nothing to stop him. This time Watkins left him free of restraints sitting in the opposite corner of room. The man even turned his back to him while he shocked and beat JJ and Morgan did nothing. He was told if he attempted anything JJ would suffer all the consequences of his actions and her punishment would be far worse than what he was doing now._

_He was frozen in his spot and forced to watch every shock, kick, taunt and ridicule and listen as JJ screamed out in agony. Watkins had even left the door to the room wide open leaving him an opportunity to walk right out and escape._

"_Go ahead Agent Morgan walk out the door. I left it open for you"_

_Morgan looked from the open door to Watkins and finally to JJ who was barely holding on to consciousness. Even in her pain filled haze she was able to mouth to him 'go' and 'please.' It broke his heart but he wouldn't leave her. He would rather die than leave her._

_He shook his 'no' and he wanted to scream when he saw her close her eyes and drop her head in disappointment. She was counting on him and he was letting her down and Watkins saw and enjoyed every minute of it._

"_Ahh so touching you won't leave her even though I am practically giving you all you need to over power me and walk out of here" He turned to JJ "be flattered, it would seem chivalry isn't dead my dear" He prodded JJ with the cattle prod holding it there a little longer than normal_

"_Ahhhh…" she tried to keep herself from screaming because screaming only to seem to increase Watkins enjoyment of the torture but she couldn't hold it in anymore. As she tried to catch her breath and control the small muscle spasms wracking her body she looked at Morgan only to see the same expression of hell and sadness reflected back at her._

_Watkins was exerting his control over Morgan. Using his emotions and feelings for JJ to keep him there and show him he could do nothing to help her and if he did try he would only cause her more pain. _

_They were breaking both physically and emotionally. If something didn't change Watkins would eventually break them and therefore kill them. He couldn't kill his victims until they submitted and relinquished all their control to him. The window for them to hold on until the team found them was slowly closing._

***End Flashback***

_They were breaking emotionally and physically and yet somehow they had managed not to_. Masters thought herself in wonderment. From what Morgan told her that incident had taken place about 11 weeks into their imprisonment. _So what changed? What gave them the strength to hold on and fight Watkins' attempts at breaking them for as long as they did?_

Whatever it was created the bond they now share. She got the definite impression that while it made their bond strong it also was part of or the sole reason why they had anxiety with regards to their teammates. It was obvious they felt strongly enough about it that it prevented them from moving past the block and getting over the anxiety.

It was time she confronted them on it too because she felt a lot of their current situation with their team and their bond stemmed from and revolved around it.

"Therapy only works if both of you are honest with me." Their heads immediately shot up and their gazes locked on her "I have the results of JJ's sexual assault kit" She held up the file which did indeed contain the medical results she had just referred to. While there had been no assault there were signs of recent sexual activity.

JJ and Morgan had a silent conversation with each other using their eyes. Sharing so much with each other without a word spoken between them said volumes about the bond they had built over those four months in captivity. Finally after what felt like an eternity to her, JJ took Morgan's hand in hers and nodded affirmatively at him. He nodded back and locked his gaze on their joined hands

"We were breaking. We could both feel it, feel the stress of trying to hold on until the team found us was wearing on us as much as Watkins' torture. Emotionally we both needed something to give us hope something to help us keep our sanity."

Morgan took over "He made us feel less than human like we were his play things objects to be toyed with and then discarded like trash. He would only kill us if we submitted to him but holding out was becoming more and more difficult…" Morgan let his thoughts trail off and a heavy silence fell over the room.

Masters could tell they wanted to tell her what happened but they felt a level of embarrassment about it. She was beginning to get that they felt they would be judged about it and by her.

"Derek, do you remember what one of the first things I told you was when we met? Remember I told you that whatever was said between us would stay between us that I am not obligated to anyone but you and JJ. Whatever you tell me stays between us unless you give me permission to tell someone else. I am not here to judge either of you but rather to help you get through what happened"

She needed them to see they could tell her anything and that they needed to tell her for their own sakes. They were obviously ok with what happened it was other people's opinion about it that had them holding back. If they didn't deal with it then they would never be able to face those closest to them again.

JJ had known from the moment Dr. Long had performed the sexual assault kit that it would be only a matter of time before Masters figured it out. And to be honest she didn't want to hide how she felt for the man sitting next to her who was holding her hand like a lifeline. "The sex was consensual"

There it was the 300lb gorilla that had been sitting in the room with the three of them since day one. Feeling as though she could finally make some leeway with them now she did the one thing no psychiatrist likes to do, she had to become the enemy.

"With each other?"

"What?" Morgan growled as he made to get up from his chair and approach her. JJ immediately stopped him

It was the reaction she wanted to get from him. The fact he got mad with regards to her asking who JJ had sex with reflected his protective side but it still didn't explain to her their embarrassment. There was still more.

Seeing the look on the doctor's face Morgan knew he had given something away through his reaction. He was exerting more energy trying to keep everything hidden from this woman and it was tearing him up more to have to do so. For four months it was just him and JJ and now it was him and JJ and the rest of the world.

"I will make you both a deal. I am going to give you my assessment of all this and then in turn the two of you will be honest not only with me but with each other. Until you are, the embarrassment you both feel will never go away"

The use of the word embarrassed definitely shocked both of them and for the first time since she began working with them their body language towards each other was conflicted and separate.

"Do we have a deal?"

They both nodded

"The consensual sex you had was that consensual. In order to feel something and stay sane you sought out a physical connection with each other and there is nothing wrong with that it is human nature to want to feel desire and even relieve stress. But you didn't develop that connection while in captivity. The bond you share never would have manifested itself to extent in which it has unless you had those feelings for each other before being kidnapped. And unless you are honest with each other about those feelings you will never be able to move forward."

"You're saying it never would have happened if we didn't already have feelings for each other?" asked JJ

"Yes which is why Morgan you can stop feeling like you took advantage of JJ"

The look of shock and what she could only describe as fear on their faces told her she had hit a large nerve. She thought she saw JJ visibly shutter.

"I didn't the first time" Morgan muttered. He had meant for only JJ to hear it but the room was so insanely quiet that Masters heard it loud and clear

Unable to hide her shock, Masters immediately asked "What do you mean the _first time?_" They refused to look at her "You both promised to be honest with me"

She could see Morgan begin to clench his jaw and ball his free hand into a tight fist while JJ bit her lip and played with a loose strand of fabric on her robe with her free hand.

"That son of a bitch…" Morgan spat "he'd watched us"

"The first time you had sex?"

They nodded

"Did you know he was there?"

"No"

"What happened?"

**Flashback**

_He'd left them alone for two days after Morgan's failed escape attempt and when he entered near the end of the third day both could tell in his demeanor alone something was different._

_He didn't immediately separate them instead he simply sat down on chair he had brought into the room with him and smiled at them. It was the type of smile that could turn a person's stomach._

_Morgan pulled JJ tight against him in a defensive protective manner. He didn't like the way Watkins was looking at them specifically JJ. He was up to something Morgan could feel it and something told him he definitely wasn't going to like it._

"_What a sweet and lovely sight. How are you feeling Agent Jareau? Better I hope. After all I did leave you two days to recover although you seemed to be feeling well enough that night to engage in some physical activities" _

_Neither said anything._

"_Speechless are we? Again neither of you were two nights ago"_

_It dawned on both of them right then what he was talking about. He had seen them have sex. The sick son of bitch had watched them and apparently the expressions they wore on their faces told him they had realized it._

"_I have to say it was quite exhilarating to watch."_

"_You're sick" spat JJ. She felt sick to her stomach and if she had had any food in her stomach right then it would be all over the floor _

"_I am aren't I?" he smirked. _

"_What the hell do you want?" Morgan asked through gritted teeth squeezing JJ tighter against him as he did_

_He laughed "what do I want? I want lots of things Agent Morgan one of which is to see you both break and crumble to pieces"_

_Morgan didn't like the feeling he was getting about this little conversation Watkins was having with them_

"_But right now what I want from the two of you is a repeat performance of the other night"_

_Utter shock didn't even begin to cover what JJ and Morgan were feeling._

"_What?" uttered JJ as she wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to cover herself up. _

"_oh now you are feeling modest Agent Jareau" he pulled out one of their guns from his belt he pointed at her "get up"_

_When JJ didn't move, mainly because Morgan refused to let go of her Watkins got angry stormed over and pulled JJ away from Morgan by her hair_

"_I will make this simple for both of you, you will have sex with each other by tomorrow morning or one of you dies." He sniffed JJ's hair and smiled "oh the fun her and I will have" he said looking right at Morgan, mocking him. He sniffed her hair again before throwing back down towards Morgan who immediately caught her and pulled her close. "I'll leave you two now to talk amongst yourselves"_

_JJ and Morgan both visibly jerked when the door to their cell slammed shut the sound echoing off the bare walls._

_They argued for several hours back and forth on what to do. Morgan refused to have to do anything like that to JJ. For her part JJ pleaded with him to do the opposite_

"_No! Damn it JJ I will not violate you like that" he yelled as he stormed over to the side of their cell_

_Angry he had walked away from her she stormed over to him and got right in his face "And I will not sit back and watch you be killed knowing there was something I could do to prevent it"_

_He could see the concern for him in her watering eyes. He cared for her too much to do this to her to do this to them. Doing this would give Watkins what he wanted; power over them. Sick bastard was probably watching them right now and enjoying every moment of their turmoil_

"_JJ…"_

"_Derek it's ok"_

"_No it's not"_

"_I can't get through this without you" she said walking up to him and cupping his face in her hands "It's just us, me and you no one else exists" _

_She kissed him softly and at first he didn't react but that didn't stop her. She kept kissing him until he finally responded to her kissing her fiercely and leading her over to their sleeping bag giving their sadistic captor exactly what they wanted._

**End Flashback**

They were both crying softly by the time they finished recounting the story to her. In all her years dealing with victims Melanie Masters had never come across anything quite like what Harvey Watkins had put these two people through.

She finally understood what made them refuse to see and interact with their friends. They were afraid they would judge them possibly disgusted by them for doing what needed to be done in order to ensure their survival.

Watkins had taken what they used to survive and perverted it to exert his ultimate control and break them. He had succeeded in exerting control but even though they may not think it he didn't break them.

She stayed silent. She wanted to see where they would go next on their own. What they had to say to each other next would shape their recovery.

"I never wanted us to happen that way" Morgan said between his soft sobs.

JJ squeezed him tightly. At any other time she would be elated to know that the suave Derek Morgan wanted her and had imagined how it would happen.

"Derek, how would you have liked it to have happened?"

Morgan furrowed his brow at her _what did that have to do with anything now? _

"If you hold in how you both truly feel then Watkins will have won. I think both of you have it in you to not let that happen." They had to tackle first before they could begin to tackle the emotions surrounding their teammates. They bonded into a two person team and the only way they would survive emotionally at this point would be to do everything as a team but first they had to be on the same page.

After several moments of deep thought the flood gates opened and the two finally began to tell each other not only what they felt for each other but the feelings and thoughts they had kept hidden from each other while they were in that cell.

"I…" he started looking at Masters who in turn gave him small nod that said 'just let it out.' He took a deep breath and turned to face JJ. "Every time he hit you and I couldn't do anything about it a small part of me broke inside. I was the reason he hurt you. I wanted to protect you. I felt…" A single tear rolled down his cheek as he tried to find the words to tell her he had wanted to be with her for a long time, possibly years. "I've wanted to be with you for so long and for him to taint it…" he paused and looked at JJ who was crying "I'm so sorry" JJ softly touched his cheek and he leaned into it closing his eyes.

"I'm not"

Morgan looked at her with surprise "JJ I practically…"

JJ shook her head "no don't" he opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off "You were there for me Derek it was your strength and presence that helped me get through it. And yes, the circumstances weren't what either of us had hoped for but you didn't take advantage and I don't regret that it happened"

If he weren't so emotionally screwed up at the moment Morgan might have actually stood up and cheered at hearing her say that but given the situation, he opted for pulling her against him into a tight hug tucking his head into the crook of her neck. "I don't either" he whispered

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	8. Chapter 8

**Ok here go. This chapter I am not a hundred percent confident in but this was the best version of it that worked so I went with it.**

**As always thanks for the all the reviews!**

Garcia waited anxiously for permission from JJ and Morgan's doctor to go in and see them. She had arrived in Colorado late last night nearly a week after her friends had been rescued and had wanted to see them immediately but everyone recommended against it. She expected to be greeted with smiles and joyous attitudes instead she was met with solemn expressions and neutral demeanors. Their friends had been missing for four months and while they all had told her of their friends requests to be alone Garcia assumed the team would be happy regarding their return.

She looked over at the team, her family they all looked tired and alone. In fact if she didn't know for sure that JJ and Morgan had been found she would think they were still missing. There weren't very many happy moments shared by all of them in the months they were missing. It had taken Hotch all his favors, Rossi too in order to get permission for them to stay in Colorado and continue the search. The two veteran agents knew the moment they left the state there would be little chance the bureau would let them return unless something concrete was found and no one wanted that piece of concrete evidence to be one or both of their bodies.

She hadn't been allowed to go to Colorado. She wasn't exclusive to the team and everything she could do, could be done via the phone and computer so therefore she wasn't allowed to leave Virginia. She did manage to use a week's vacation time about nine weeks into their disappearance and she wasn't sure what she had expected to be different with her physically being here but that was all the amount of time she was able to get on the ground so to speak. Her presence at the police department hadn't exactly been pretty either she, on more than one occasion she lost it with a local detective as many of the team had with regards finding JJ and Morgan alive. After that she stayed at the request and suggestion of Hotch, she stayed at Quantico.

She was shocked to find that not one of them had spoken to JJ or Morgan for a period of time longer than 20-30 minutes and only in the last two days. Easing them in their doctor had called it. Sure they wanted to be alone but total isolation? That just didn't make any sense. Thinking back on it though it began to dawn on Garcia why Hotch had asked her to wait to come to Colorado. She wanted to hop on a plane the night he told her they had been found but he told her wait until they were ready. She hadn't put much thought at the time into what he meant but now, seeing the situation first hand she was beginning to understand his insistence she wait.

They tried to prepare her for what she was going to see, told her they weren't the same people they were before they were taken. Morgan was standoffish and JJ timid when they were around. They had changed and while they knew who the team members were JJ and Morgan were reluctant to have them around. The only person they spoke to on a regular basis other than each other were their doctors who were to all be females all the time no matter what. She was honestly scared of what she might see considering all they had told her but she needed to see them for herself simply to know they were alive and well.

"Penelope?"

She stopped pacing and looked up at the petite woman before her who she was told by Emily was their psychologist Melanie Masters. "Yes?" she asked her nervousness evident in her voice.

The doctor smiled warmly at her "you can come in now"

Garcia looked to the team and back to the doctor "ok." She followed her into JJ and Morgan's room. She found it slightly odd that they were allowed to share a room but Reid told her it was in everyone's best interest if they weren't separated when she asked why he explained what happened to two nurses. A physical reaction like those he described she expected from Morgan but JJ? She never thought her best friend would intentionally hurt someone who she knew was only trying to help her.

When she entered the room JJ and Morgan were sitting next to each other in two plastic chairs holding hands. That was another thing Emily had told her about, JJ and Morgan were very 'close' and she wasn't referring to their proximity. She spied the tenderness at which Morgan cradled JJ's hand, their fingers intertwined with him slowly rubbing his thumb along hers.

JJ smiled warmly at her but Garcia could see it was an apprehensive smile that didn't carry the brightness and charm that was Jennifer Jareau. She saw the same in Morgan's smile and while she knew she had been told to take it slow in approaching them Garcia couldn't control herself and began to rush toward them, JJ particularly to give her a hug. It was a mistake.

Upon seeing her rapid approach Morgan snapped out of his chair standing up and taking a protective stance causing Garcia's forward movement to come to a halt. Immediately realizing his reaction had scared her Morgan glanced quickly at Dr. Masters and muttered an apology and sat back down retaking JJ's hand in his own.

Garcia wanted to cry. Gone was the witty and flirty banter Derek Morgan always bestowed upon her and in its place was a defensive and shy man. She could see he regretted his reaction but it was her fault and afraid she would be asked to leave she began apologizing profusely "No, no" she started to say looking from her friends to their doctor and back to them "it was my fault. I never should have startled you I'm sorry"

"It's ok Garcia" JJ quietly replied.

"Yeah baby girl I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

Garcia cut him off "No Morgan it was me I shouldn't have come at you both like that I was just so overwhelmed by my emotions at seeing both of you"

"Why do you sit down Penelope" Masters suggested as she came to stand next to her

Garcia nodded moved to the chair that had been set up adjacent to JJ and Morgan and sat down. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do next "I don't know what to do" she said quietly

Masters who had sat down next to her told her to tell JJ and Morgan how was feeling at seeing them. How she felt while they were missing and upon hearing they had been found. "This is just as much about their healing as it is yours"

JJ and Morgan needed to hear that their friends through their own emotions regarding their kidnapping had no intentions of judging them or hating them.

Garcia began to explain how she felt when she first learned they had been kidnapped by Harvey Watkins. She told them how at first she was in denial and would constantly call either of the cell phones in the naïve hope one of them would pick up and tell her it had been a mistake they weren't missing and would be home soon. She recounted how she cried nearly everyday they were gone and more so when one of the team called only to tell her there was no news.

She told of the nightmares she had about them and how she would wake up crying hysterically at the thought of those nightmares coming true. How she cried tears of joy at hearing they had been found alive how she thanked any deity who had listened to her pleading prayers to bring them home safe and finally she told them how much she loved them. No matter what Harvey Watkins did to them her love for them would never ever change.

In turn Morgan and JJ described to her like they had the others what Harvey Watkins had put them through with the exception of their sexual encounters. Masters had told them they didn't have to tell their friends if they didn't want to. Perhaps one day they would be ready but until they were none of them had to know.

They took turns explaining how they never gave up hope they would be found. How knowing none of them would rest until they found them gave them the strength to fight and stay strong.

When Morgan told Garcia of his escape attempt and the repercussions for JJ because he had she was shocked.

"You got away?"

"I didn't get very far. I didn't know where I was and my ankle was banged up pretty bad so he caught up to me after I got about 200 feet from the house" Morgan still felt guilty albeit less since starting therapy but still guilty at failing to get away and then being the cause JJ was beaten for it.

Garcia wiped her tears away and looked to JJ who shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She wanted to rush over and hug her best friend and tell her it would be ok that it was over but she didn't because she was afraid she would scare her more than help her.

"I told him to go"

Garcia's mouth hung open

"There was no way I was going to get away in my condition so I told him to go without me. When Watkins brought him back to the cell he punished me for his escape attempt" JJ squeezed Morgan's hand as she did every time they recounted the story. She knew the therapy was helping both of them but he still cringed whenever they told it. JJ explained that even though Watkins had beat her for his actions she didn't blame him that she could never blame him.

Garcia was amazed her friends had gone through something so atrocious and debilitating and yet they had managed to survive and remain the same caring people that they were before the ordeal.

The session lasted for nearly 40 minutes and they had gotten about half way through their captivity when Masters suggested it be best to leave it there. She thought it best not to do too much too soon since session had been emotionally taxing on all participants. They all needed time to decompress and rest.

Rising to leave Garcia went over and hugged JJ. JJ stiffened at the initial contact but after a moment sighed deeply and returned the hug. The two women stood like that for nearly 3 minutes before Garcia finally broke off the contact and even then she was reluctant to let go.

She turned to do the same to Morgan but hesitated. She wasn't sure how he would react to her encroaching on his personal space and was pleasantly surprised when he wrapped his arm around her shoulder bringing her close. Taking it as an invitation for contact, Garcia turned into his embrace and hugged him. He too was stiff at first but like JJ soon relaxed and returned the hug.

Breaking away she wiped away the new stream of tears that began to fall "I'll see you guys tomorrow right?"

Both nodded

She nodded back to them turned and walked toward the door to leave. She stopped at the entrance to the room and started to tell them one more time how happy she was they were back but stopped when she turned around and saw them.

They had their arms wrapped around each other's waists holding each other close and Morgan was gently kissing JJ's forehead. Both had their eyes closed so neither saw her watching them. It was an extremely intimate moment which Garcia almost felt guilty for intruding on but she couldn't look away. If the circumstances surrounding their new found intimacy weren't so tragic she would be ecstatic that her two best friends had finally found each other.

She glanced at Masters who was watching both the couple and her. She had so many questions she wanted to ask her but she knew it would be fruitless as the doctor wouldn't be able to tell her anything more than what JJ and Morgan had. But as soon as they were out in the hallway Garcia asked the one question she knew the doctor could answer "They're going to be ok right?"

"If I've learned anything since meeting JJ and Derek it's that they have an amazing resilience the strongest I've seen in any of my patients who have gone through what they have. Not to mention they have an amazing support system."

Garcia looked past the doctor towards the room she had just come from and pondered what she just said "That doesn't answer my question"

Masters knew exactly what she was referring to "they had only each other to rely on in that cell and adjusting to being back among others is going to take time and like I said they have an amazing support system and each other" She observed Garcia for a moment before continuing. She could tell this woman standing before her while not a profiler was probably one of the more observant people on JJ and Morgan's lives when it came to reading human behavior when it came to reading their behavior. "You've known for a long time how they have felt about each other haven't you?"

"Yeah"

"Well then you don't need me to tell you whether or not they're going to be ok"

Garcia smiled and nodded before turning away from the doctor and walking over to where the rest of the team was content for the first time since all this began in knowledge that her friends were eventually going to be ok.

**I was going to get more of the team involved but when I started writing, Garcia just took over and in the end I felt like she would be the best one to focus on. **

**Please be sure to tell what you thought of it.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Once again thank you to all those who keep reviewing and letting me what they think of this story…it means a lot to me.**

**Still don't own anything related to the CM universe…unfortunately.**

**Enjoy! **

On their last day of therapy, one day before they were set to return to D.C. Masters asked both JJ and Morgan who had come very far in the 2 intense months she spent with them what they intended to do next.

Both assuming she was referring to returning to work told her they intended to go back slowly possibly stay on desk duty a few weeks longer than she had recommended just to ease back into their jobs as well as being around groups of people.

Given JJ's job of dealing with the press Masters had suggested she stay away from that position for as long as possible deciding only to go back to it when she, her doctor in D.C. and Hotch felt she was ready. When all three were on the same page about it then and only then would she begin to ease back into the position. She wholeheartedly agreed and for the time being was more than satisfied to pick the cases and be the go between for the team and local authorities. Masters was weary of her jumping right back in to viewing and picking the cases the team would take feeling her own experience might influence or even hurt her recovery. JJ in turn replied that she still wanted to help people and felt that while it would be difficult to see the horrific images of what unsubs were capable of she felt the only she would be able to heal and continue to do her job would be if she faced it all head on. Masters agreed she had the mindset for the task but was unsure of how the practical use of it would pan out. She made a note to herself to discuss it with the doctor she had chosen for them to see in D.C. so she would be aware should a complication arise.

For his part Morgan decided to take things slow as well. Deciding to stay on desk duty but continue to work with the team on cases, he just wasn't going to travel. Seeing how Garcia was always able to aid in the investigation from a far Morgan felt that for the time being he could do the same. Masters knew a lot of his decision had to with the fact that JJ would be staying in the office as well and he wouldn't want to be away from her. The other factor in his decision was one she felt he was going to have to work really hard on and that was the notion of him being reliable. Morgan admitted he didn't feel comfortable having someone rely on him in a dangerous situation save it being JJ. JJ had relied on him in Stephanie Long's house to protect them both and he had failed by not securing as he went and therefore allowing Watkins to get the jump on him. He knew there were mitigating factors as to why he was so careless but he didn't want to return to work early and have it happen again. He didn't want someone else to get hurt because he wasn't ready to be there.

As soon as they were both done explaining what they had already covered the day before she kindly told them that work wasn't what she was referring to when she asked the question. She told them she had already made the recommendations they had discussed to the doctor they were going to see in D.C. and that what she was referring to was what they intended to about "them" once they returned home because while circumstances may not have been ideal, their feelings for each other are real and what they intended to do next was important. Did they intend to remains friends? Were they going to date?

JJ sheepishly replied she hadn't given it much thought

Morgan simply replied "yes."

Masters asked him what he was exactly saying yes to. She wants him to be specific not for her benefit as their doctor but she feels he needs to do it for himself and to let JJ know he is serious about his feelings regarding their future and what he wants.

Morgan begins to answer and Masters stops him telling him not to tell her even though she was the one who asked the question but to turn to JJ and explain to her exactly what his answer means.

Morgan then turned to JJ and began explaining to her exactly what he wanted regarding them once they returned home. "I want to court you and make sure I do this the right way because you deserve that more than anything even more so after everything we've been through. This experience has showed me that I want someone in my life on a permanent basis and that it is ok to need someone and want someone to be able to rely on and for me that person is you. I want you Jennifer. I want us."

JJ is totally taken back by his honestly and surety regarding them but at the same time extremely flattered at how much he cares about her. Her eyes begin to water "I would love that and I was lying when I said I hadn't given it much thought. I've thought a lot about it actually since we've been here and I would love to be courted by you."

Morgan smiles his first real smile since their whole ordeal began and for the first time since they were last together he kisses JJ.

Masters says dating is definitely not a bad idea. She explains that even though it was only four months they had spent every waking hour together and it helped them get through it and has helped them in their recovery so to change it now simply because they are going home would be stupid. She tells them not to be ashamed of still needing each other on the level they have while at work. They are going to be around large amounts of people and while those people know and understand what they went through they are going to feel cornered possibly even claustrophobic by all the attention. "Seeking out each other in a private setting while at work is not something you should shy away from. In fact I encourage it. We all need a security blanket at times and the two of you are each other's security blanket. JJ you've told me you have a private office, I encourage you both to use that space as a type of refuge should you feel you need a break so to speak. Again don't be ashamed of it because while you have come along way with your teammates, acquaintances and people at work are going to garner a different reaction. Don't be afraid of physical contact in public or at work even if people stare. I have noticed the two of you are able to calm each other with a simple touch so use that too"

JJ and Morgan nod at her both slightly relieved that they were being given permission to stay close to each other.

"Also just because you are leaving here and even though you have a new doctors in D.C. that doesn't mean you can't call me day or night with concerns or questions. I will be in contact with your doctor in D.C. checking up on you and your progress."

"Thank you" said JJ

"Yes thank you for everything" added Morgan

"You are both very welcome. I know you both rely on each other now for a lot but be sure to give each other space as needed which is why I have recommended that while you see a therapist together I also have chosen doctors for you to see separately. On top those separate doctors I also want you both to choose one of your teammates you feel most comfortable with to confide in this way he or she can explain to the others what is going on with the two of you. This will keep you from feeling crowded while at the same time it will allow your team feel as though they are being shut out."

"I think the best person for that would be Garcia right?" Morgan suggested turning to JJ for confirmation

"Definitely"

"Be sure to be honest with her and remember that however frustrating this is for the both of you it is frustrating for them as well which is why I have recommended that they too seek counseling regarding this. Don't shut your families out either. Be assertive with them that you will tell them when you are ready but ask them not to push. Allowing Ms. Garcia to speak with them too would help them to understand and go along way to allowing them to help and give you the space you are asking for. Nothing is going to be easy or quick this is going to take time and like I said at times will be extremely frustrating and exhausting but don't give up. Always look forward, not back."

JJ started to stay something but stopped she wasn't sure how ask what she was thinking and Masters quickly picked up on her uneasiness.

"JJ did you want to ask me something?"

She nodded "I know this is going to sound weird but what…what should we do about living arraignments? I mean I don't…"

"It's ok you can say you don't want to be alone. From the moment you both came in nearly every approach to your recovery has been outside the box so my answer as to what you should do is going to be no different"

Both looked at her with confused expressions but neither said anything instead deciding to listen intently to her solution

"I think it would be best if you moved in together. While I don't recommend rushing into things with regards to a relationship I do recommend you share a living space. As I said before I think completely separating from each other would only hinder your recovery. I've spoken about this with your doctors and they agree."

Her answer definitely eased JJ's nervousness about the possibility of waking up in the middle of the night from a nightmare alone and not having Morgan there to comfort her and tell her it was ok. It still amazed her how much she had grown to rely on the man sitting next to her for simplest of things and it scared her to think going home meant being separated so hearing Dr. Masters tell them it was ok for them to live together went along way to alleviating those fears.

The rest of their last session was spent going over other dos and don'ts and recommendations Masters had for them once they got home. She told them to ease into social gatherings and public places. To try going out for a while at least to dinner accompanied by either their whole team or one or two of them for familiarity in a sea of unfamiliar faces and to try and stick to wide open places not small crowded bars or restaurants.

Once they were done they thanked her again for all her help and that they would definitely be in touch to personally give her updates on their progress. They left the hospital feeling as though they could conquer anything thrown their way.

On the suggestion of Masters the rest of the team had flown home the day before because while JJ and Morgan were growing more and more comfortable with them she wasn't 100% sure of how they would feel being crammed into a small plane with them for a 6hr flight home. The team as well as JJ and Morgan had protested slightly the team for wanting to be there for them when they left and JJ and Morgan for feeling they could make the trip. She was encouraged by their desire to get back to normal but considering how far they had come in such a short time she wasn't going to take any chances and explained as much to them.

In the end she won and all parties reluctantly agreed to do as she suggested and JJ and Morgan flew home alone on the jet both excited and nervous to be going home.

**Don't worry that is not the end! We still have maybe one or two more chapters left to tie up their recovery and life together going forward.**

**Please, please be sure to review and tell me what you think.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok so we are definitely nearing the end of the story and I hope you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. **

JJ and Morgan returned home to little fan fare which was much to their liking. They were met at the airport by their teammates, Garcia and Strauss who insisted the only reason she was there was to welcome them back on behalf of the bureau and to let them know if they needed anything the bureau was there for them. Neither JJ, Morgan or the team actually believed her but they were all grateful there was no inquisition into the events of the last four months of their lives.

The ride to Morgan's condo was spent in relative silence. Emily and Garcia sat up front while JJ and Morgan sat in the back, JJ leaning against Morgan with her head on his shoulder. While they had worked through a lot of their issues with regard to being around the team they still felt more comfortable in certain situations being with Emily and Garcia than the others.

Emily spied them in the rearview mirror and couldn't help the small smirk that formed as she thought about how her friends had come through a harrowing event together and at the same time "found" each other. She always knew there was something between JJ and Morgan even if they didn't seem to see it. It didn't take a profiler to see they way Morgan would watch JJ when he thought no one was looking or how he whenever they were about to break down a door or enter a dangerous situation would look around to make sure JJ was safely near the back of the group. He was a protective man by nature but he was just different when it came to JJ. The same went for JJ as well. She would watch Morgan out of the corner of her eye or sit next to him on the jet and while she would never admit it openly it was obvious to Emily JJ was bothered by the many women in Morgan's life. She would never mean any ill will towards them but Emily could see it bothered her friend when women would practically throw themselves at Morgan when they were out at a bar or club. To his credit whenever JJ was around, Morgan would politely decline any of their invitations or drink offers something he didn't do when she or Garcia were out with him.

She glanced back at them again and nearly let out an audible "awww" when she saw them. Both had fallen asleep with JJ's head on Morgan's shoulder and his head resting on top of hers. If the atmosphere surrounding all of them weren't so maudlin she would have encouraged Garcia to pull out her cell phone and snap a picture but obviously because of the nature of the situation she opted against it. "Check it out" she whispered to Garcia nodding towards the backseat.

Garcia turned in her seat "they look so cute" she whispered back

Emily chuckled "yeah they do. What do you think will happen with them now?"

Unbeknownst to Emily and the rest of the team Garcia already knew the answer to that question. JJ had called her last night and filled her in on what she and Morgan planned to do as far as living arraignments went, work and how they both planned to have her be the go between for them and the team. As per JJ's instructions, Garcia went to her apartment gathered as many of JJ's things as she could carry and took them over to Morgan's condo.

While they hadn't openly admitted to her what happened between them while in captivity, Garcia had an idea of what might have happened but as Dr. Masters had instructed her and the others she wasn't going to push for answers. She knew when they would tell her when they were ready.

Garcia wasn't exactly a good liar and Emily _was_ that good of a profiler so her silence and avoidance was a dead give away that she knew something. Seeing she was about to be called out on it and really not wanting to be interrogated she decided to beat Emily to the punch "They want to wait to tell everyone what they intend to do"

Emil nodded. She understood the hidden meaning behind Garcia's reply. JJ and Morgan had spent 4 months with little to no control regarding their lives and choices in them so it didn't surprise her that they wanted to be in control of when and where everyone found out what they were going to do next. She respected that. She was fairly certain though that Garcia knew way more than just what JJ and Morgan intended to do when they reached Morgan's. She had seen evidence of it when the young eccentric tech left her sessions with JJ and Morgan. Emily had no doubt they confided in her more than any of them and she had to admit she was little jealous of it but again understood that since Garcia wasn't a profiler her friends felt more comfortable opening up to her.

The team was scattered about Morgan's condo talking quietly amongst themselves enjoying the pizza Rossi had bought for them. Morgan sat on his couch with JJ next to him his hand in hers. Their hand holding even during therapy had earned one or two glances from their friends but like in therapy it was mainly because they were still getting used to seeing them be so affectionate towards each other. The only one during therapy to outright say something about how it surprised him had been Rossi and after that one time he never brought it up again.

They hadn't told the others what had happened between them while in captivity but Morgan was certain they all had an inclination _something_ had happened between him and JJ during that time. Both were extremely grateful though none had prodded either of them to reveal exactly what it was but instead simply accepted the fact that they were closer because of their ordeal.

As he looked around at his friends Morgan could read the apprehension and indecision at the idea of moving closer even possibly sitting down on the couch in each of them. His and JJ's decision to ride with Garcia and Emily had more than likely a lot do with that. He needed them to relax though because he and JJ had to explain to them what they intended to do with regards to work and living arraignments the latter he was sure would raise a few eyebrows but as he had worked out in therapy he could care less because regardless of what any of them thought JJ was going no where.

He was about to try and lighten the mood with a joke about how they wouldn't bite when Garcia took the initiative by breaking away from the group and sitting down on the couch at the other end. Morgan smiled at her gratefully for taking the first step and she in turn turned to the others indicating for them to join her.

Emily had opted to sit on the couch next to Garcia but Reid, Hotch and Rossi decided it would be best to either sit in a chair across from them or stand. While neither JJ nor Morgan had said anything their uneasiness with having everyone in the room with them at once was fairly evident to the team in their body language.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, JJ began to explain what she and Morgan intended to do next. They both knew Masters had gone over a little bit of their schedule and rules for returning to work with Hotch but they wanted to go over it with everyone as well. "Both of us have decided we are only going to return to work part time for a while" she knew using the phrase 'a while' was being vague but neither she or Morgan knew how they were going to react to being back at the BAU so she felt being vague at this point wasn't a bad thing because neither were ready to commit to anything. "I'm still going to be choosing your cases and presenting them to you but for now that will be it." She turned to Morgan indicating it was his turn

"I'm going to help out best I can with the profiling. More than likely we will video conference like we usually do with Garcia so I can give suggestions and input but like JJ I'm going to stick to desk duty"

"For how long?" muttered Reid who was still finding it difficult to accept that two of his strongest friends were struggling and at this very moment looked extremely fragile and almost frightened.

JJ shrugged "I don't know Spence. I guess until we both feel we are ready to return full time"

"Can't put a time table on this kid" added Morgan

"I've spoken with Strauss and she and I agree that the two of you can take as much time as you need to get back"

"Thanks Hotch" replied Morgan. Strauss may not be one of this favorite people but he had to admit the woman was actually showing she had a heart by not tossing him and JJ to the wayside. Feeling JJ squeeze his hand Morgan decided to tackle the next announcement "The second thing we wanted to discuss with you guys is how Dr. Masters suggested in order to make sure we aren't shutting any of you out or are feeling crowded we choose one of you to confide in who can then relay everything to all of you"

"A go between" suggested Emily

JJ and Morgan nodded "someone to confide in not just for us but also for you."

"So who is it going to be?" asked Rossi who was intrigued by the doctor's suggestion

"Garcia"

"I think that's a great choice" started Rossi "She's not a profiler and both of you are very close to her not to mention the fact that if anyone can either of you to talk it's her"

Everyone chuckled

Once the room got quiet again JJ and Morgan decided to tackle the last piece of business that needed to be addressed; their living situation. They'd decided the night before since they were moving into his condo that Morgan would be the one to tell everyone.

"I know what I am about to say next might come as a bit of a shock and even bring up a lot of questions but we need you guys to just understand that right now this is what's best for us." Morgan looked around the room at his friends and teammates waiting for silent verification that each understood and when he had it he continued. "Dr Masters thinks and we both agree that it's best for JJ to move in here with me"

The room was silent for a time with each team member obviously, with the exception of Garcia who already knew it was coming attempting to digest what he had just told them. No doubt hundreds of questions were running through their heads probably thousands where Reid was concerned.

If they'd suspected something before they definitely now had confirmation something was going on and as Masters told them they were under no obligation to tell the team what it was. However, he and JJ both hoped that one day they would have the courage to explain everything but that wasn't today.

"Are you waiting for us to disagree or fight you on this?" asked Emily who honestly shocked Morgan and JJ with her bluntness "Cuz honestly I don't think it's a bad idea" She knew they needed support and she was more than willing to give it to them and for the time she was willing to give it without question. Having seen for herself their obvious dependency on each other, Emily definitely saw them living together at least for the time being as a good idea.

"We weren't sure how you were going to react. We know you all have a lot of questions…" JJ started but was quickly cut off by Hotch

"Whether or not we have questions JJ we are going to be there for both of you and we know this is hard on the both of you and to admit to us as much as the both of you have thus far is amazing. What you went through is something none of us perhaps with the exception of Reid can comprehend"

"I went through something similar and I don't think I can completely understand it" added Reid who was being honest because while he had been held captive by Tobias what he went through only last a few days he couldn't imagine having to go through that torture for four months and coming out of it as intact as JJ and Morgan had.

JJ and Morgan thanked their friends for their understanding and support and actually from then on both were even able to relax.

It was late and the team was getting ready to leave when Emily noticed that JJ and Morgan were no longer in the room.

"Where did they go?" Emily asked as she slid her jacket on over her shoulders.

"I think they wanted a moment alone" replied Reid who rocked back and forth on his heels while admiring living room floor.

Emily nodded

"Garcia maybe you should go get them to let them know we are leaving" suggested Hotch who knew Garcia would be the best person to seek their friends out.

"Ok" Garcia muttered putting down her jacket and heading down the hallway in the direction she figured JJ and Morgan had retreated to. When she reached the door she knew to be Morgan's bedroom, Garcia nervously peeked inside and started to announce her presence when the sight before her rendered her totally speechless.

They stood at the foot of his bed embracing, JJ with her arms wrapped around Morgan's waist her head tucked into the crook of his neck with her eyes closed and Morgan resting his chin on the top of her head his eyes too closed while his hands gently caressed the small of her back. Neither spoke they just enjoyed the quiet solitude of each other's presence.

She felt guilty for spying in on such an intimate moment between her two best friends but Garcia just couldn't turn her eyes away from them. They looked so vulnerable and yet at the same time so very content to simply be in each other arms. She had always known they had feelings for each other. In fact each had confided in her on separate occasions of such but seeing them now Garcia knew her two best friends had more than just feelings for the other. Garcia could tell her two best friends were very much deeply in love.

**I was going to keep going but everything that came after that last line just didn't seem to fit.**

**Be sure to review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I finally got It's What They Did finished which actually helped me relax regarding finishing up this one.**

**Yes sadly we are nearing the end of this fic as well…but we are done yet so don't cry. Lol**

In the six months since their rescue from a hell no person should have to endure and being released from the hospital JJ and Morgan had made a great deal of progress. JJ still woke screaming from the occasional nightmare and both were still weary of new men that entered their lives but through relaxation methods their doctors had taught them they were able to relax faster and recognize new people weren't threats. It had taken time and there were the occasional setbacks but they were moving forward and not looking back. One situation however, early on in their return to work had been one of those minor setbacks.

Work had been a huge adjustment not just for them but also for those who worked with them. On more than one occasion JJ had been on the verge of a panic attack while riding in the elevator with co-workers but using the relaxation techniques taught to her she would be able to relax and stop the attack. Thankfully whenever possible those they worked with would allow her and Morgan to ride alone opting to take the next car if the one they were in opened on their floor.

At first it upset them because it made them standout and re-live the emotions of isolation they suffered at the hands of Watkins but their doctor explained to them what they felt was normal. Readjusting was always hard but the doctor explained to them they should also think of it as an amazing gesture of understanding and respect from their co-workers that while probably uncomfortable themselves still thought highly enough of JJ and Morgan to accommodate them in that way. Seeing the gestures as what the doctor described had, slowly allowed JJ and Morgan to relax and open up to their colleagues to the extent that riding in elevators weren't an issue.

The whole thing showed how united FBI personnel were in the sense that when one or in this case two were wronged they all felt wronged.

However, Murphy's Law being what it is things can't go a hundred perfect all of the time and that was very evident about 7 weeks of them returning when the BAU got a new transfer. Josh Turner was a good looking, confident, competent 30 something field agent who had just transferred from the New York office to the BAU; a job he considered to be his dream job.

His reputation of being cocky both on the job and with the ladies had followed him from New York. That cockiness and over zealousness if you will is what got him into trouble his first day there. He wasn't supposed to start until the following day and that had been pushed back because Hotch was away with the team on a case. But having received his credentials and clearance Agent Turner didn't think he would be hurting anyone if he casually went to the BAU to get the lay of the land so to speak.

He, like the rest of the country had heard about the abduction and rescue of two agents from the BAU section of the FBI but he didn't know JJ well enough to know not to approach her. In fact he wasn't even sure what she looked like.

JJ looked through what felt like the hundredth file that morning. The team, sans her and Morgan were in Montana working a child abduction case. Morgan who, as he always had with cases that involved children was in overdrive trying to help the team catch the unsub. He was currently in Garcia's office video conferencing with Hotch and the others on his portion of the profile. While he was frustrated at not being able to physically see the crime scenes Morgan knew it was still best for all those involved if he remained on desk duty. While both he and JJ had made progress he knew it was not enough for him to feel confident enough to return to field work. Reaching over to her right JJ grabbed her coffee cup to take sip and she was extremely disappointed to find the mug empty.

Sighing knowing she would need a boat load more coffee to get through the still unopened files on her desk JJ got up and headed for the bullpen. Realizing she had to drop off a few files on Emily and Reid's desks JJ picked them up as well and left her office.

Engrossed in one of the files in her hands making sure it had everything Reid would need in it she didn't see Josh Turner exit the bullpen.

He was extremely impressed by the place he had been dreaming about working at. Ever since taking a profiling seminar here two years Turner had been determined to take the classes and get posted to the BAU. All his hard work had finally paid off when he got the news two weeks ago that he would be transferring to the illustrious unit. He hoped against all hope that he would be assigned to Agent Hotcher's team in fact was banking on it since he knew they were a profiler down.

As he pushed his way out of the bullpen he was so engrossed in his own thoughts of greatness that he didn't see the petite blonde coming his way.

"Oomph" JJ said as her arms and forehead came into contact with another human body causing her drop the files she had been carrying. Without even looking up, JJ sighed and quickly went about picking up the strewn about paperwork.

"I'm so sorry" Turner said bending over to help JJ pick up the paperwork. Grabbing several papers and shuffling them together Turner finally looked up when he went to hand them over. _Well hello there_ he thought to himself as his and JJ's eyes locked. "I'm sorry I should have been paying better attention"

JJ's body went stiff and she remained silent. She had never met this man before but knew he belonged there by the credentials attached to his jacket. Not recognizing the name she figured he was probably the new transfer coming over from the New York office. However, she had been told he wouldn't be coming in until Hotch returned from Montana. Anyone new to the office would go to Hotch's office first where he or she would be briefed before being introduced to her and Morgan.

_Don't panic, don't panic. _She repeated to herself over and over.

"It's my first day and I was just so caught up in the scenery that I didn't see you. My name's Josh." He was turning on the charm using his boyish smile he knew more often than not worked on women. Noticing she wasn't taking the paperwork he was holding out for her, Turner leaned forward and put the papers on top of the ones she was already holding invading JJ's personal space. He was trying to be suave but all he was succeeding in doing was raising JJ's anxiety level.

JJ's stomach churned at the man's attempt to be suave and hit on her._ Calm JJ, stay calm. _Deciding she needed to get away from this man and get back to the safety and solitude of her office JJ finished gathering the rest of the discarded paperwork and slowly rose from her kneeling position. Throwing the man a weak smile and a muffled 'thank you' JJ turned to leave when she felt an hand on her forearm.

Seeing that she was about to leave without telling him her name, Josh lightly grabbed her forearm in an effort to get her to stop and turn back to him. He was fairly enthralled with this overly shy woman and at the very least wanted to know her name so he could ask around about her. It was the biggest mistake he could ever make.

As soon as JJ felt the hand man's hand grab her forearm no matter how lightly it was she stiffened and simply reacted on instinct. Wrenching her arm away from him she turned to him and yelled "Don't ever fucking touch me!"

Turner was slightly taken aback by her reaction. He had meant no harm, hell he hadn't even grabbed her that hard. Most men in his situation given the woman before probably carried a gun would have put his hands up in surrender and backed off but being the rico suave that he was Josh Turner turned his mistake into a painful disaster. Instead of backing off he instead took a step toward JJ again invading her personal space. "Hey, I'm sorry I…" He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence because the next thing Josh knew a fist was connecting with his jaw knocking him flat on his ass. As soon as his head hit the floor he was quickly being yanked off the floor by his shirt collar, a very, very angry Derek Morgan right in his face

"Don't you ever, ever touch her again, do you understand me?" Morgan was seeing red and like JJ was reacting purely on instinct. He had been exiting Garcia's office when he saw an unknown man grab JJ's arm. Seeing her react in a such a scared manner Morgan let the protective instinct he had formed while in captivity take over and rushed toward them.

Hearing the commotion going on outside the bullpen in the hallway many of the agents in the BAU gathered around JJ, Turner and Morgan.

"If I ever see you touch her again…"

"Derek"

Hearing JJ call out to him, Morgan immediately let go of Turner and looked at her. Seeing her attention was focused behind him Morgan rose and turned to see many of his co-workers staring at him. Breathing heavily from his tirade Morgan looked around his colleagues before going over to JJ and quickly ushering her back to her quickly without saying anything.

Once inside he quietly shut the door and attempted to get his breathing and emotions back under control. It was the first protective emotional outbreak either had in weeks and while they knew their colleagues understood, they were both still scared and embarrassed.

Seeing JJ shaking slightly Morgan grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. "Are you ok? I just…when I saw him touch and heard your reaction I just reacted"

"Yeah I knew he was only trying to be polite hell, I think he was even hitting on me but when he grabbed my arm I…" JJ let her thought trail off as she let herself be comforted by the soothing circles Morgan was slowly rubbing on her back.

Realizing they retreating to JJ's office didn't make the situation in the hallway disappear, Morgan slowly let go of JJ and picked up the receiver to her desk phone.

"Who are you calling?"

"Garcia. I need to tell her what happened"

Wrapping her arms around herself JJ nodded in agreement. Without Hotch of the others around the next best person to handle the situation would be Garcia. Not to mention they would need to talk to her as well to tell her what they were feeling. At first the arraignment between them and Garcia felt awkward and both avoided truly opening up to her. It wasn't until their isolation from the team had gotten to the point where Morgan spent more time in JJ's office than he did at his desk did Garcia put her foot down and force both of them to open up to her. Since then they including the team had been completely open with her.

JJ often felt a little guilty for constantly unloading all her problems and feelings on Garcia but Garcia explained her to that she shouldn't feel guilty because knew that if their positions were reversed she would do the same for her.

Out in the hallway Turner was on the floor still in shock and totally confused as to what the hell just happened. "What the fuck was his problem? I was just apologizing to her" he yelled rubbing his sore and bruised jaw.

His excuse was complete bullshit as his intentions toward JJ in that moment were more about gaining a new conquest than it was about apologizing to her.

"Whatever" started Anderson who had been one of the few people in the hallway at the time and witnessed the entire altercation. "If I were you I'd be thankful he only punched you"

Picking himself up off the floor, Turner was even more confused and getting fed up with the attitude "And why is that exactly?"

Anderson just shook his in disgust "You should go to talk to Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia and pray that when you do she doesn't tell Agent Hotchner what happened"

"Why the hell should I go talk to a computer analyst about this?"

Anderson opened his mouth to answer but a stern voice from behind cut him off.

"Because this computer analyst is going to school you on how not to get yourself killed by Agent Derek Morgan" Garcia said walking over to stand next to Anderson

"You heard what happened?" asked Anderson

"Yeah Morgan called me from JJ's office." She told Anderson before turning her irritated attention on Turner "I managed to keep him from coming back out here and tearing you limb from limb by reminding him you're new here. Which by the way why are you here? You were told Agent Hotchner would call you when he got back from his case so you could come in and talk to him before starting work"

Turner was in complete shock. He didn't realize who JJ was when he started hinting on her. He'd heard rumors all the way back in New York how Derek Morgan and Jennifer Jareau had been changed by their ordeal but he never thought to the extent of what just happened. He was even more shocked to see that the people who worked with them were angry with _him_.

"Ok everyone back to work the show is over" Garcia said as she shooed everyone in the hallway away before approaching Turner "My office please" she said pointing the direction of her office.

Rubbing his sore while eyeing his new co-workers as they dispersed on command Josh Turner held his head high and walked in the direction Garcia was pointing.

Back in JJ's office Morgan was still doing his best not to leave go to Garcia's office and give the guy he punched a piece of his mind maybe even hit him again for touching JJ. While Garcia had calmed him down what really kept him from going was JJ. She was still in a slight panic not over the man who had touched her but rather about how reacted to him. Morgan didn't want this incident to undo what progress they had made thus far.

"I never should have reacted the way I did" she muttered as she paced her small office.

"JJ you didn't know who he was and I saw how instead of backing off he grabbed your arm"

"He didn't grab me that hard Derek. I could have reacted better but I just went on instinct"

Morgan ran a hand over his face "Yeah well I shouldn't have punched him. No doubt Hotch maybe even Strauss is gonna come down on me for that

JJ stopped pacing and walked over to Morgan "You thought I was in danger, you were only protecting me"

"You and I both understand that but Strauss…"

"Who is he anyway? I think not knowing who he was had a lot to do with my reaction."

"Garcia said his name is Turner. He's the transfer from New York"

JJ nodded "That's what I thought when I saw his credentials that said he wasn't a visitor. And Hotch isn't here…"

"So no one probably told him about us"

"God" JJ started throwing her head back "I am so screwed up. I can't even meet a new person without them first being briefed by Hotch"

Morgan walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders "Hey look at me" JJ did as he asked "We knew this wasn't going to be a walk in the park that it's a process we were going to have to work at. You are the strongest person I know Jen, don't ever think any differently"

JJ smiled and tenderly touched his cheek "thank you" she whispered before giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. "You're right though, I think Hotch is gonna be pissed you nearly broke the guy's jaw"

"I didn't hit him that hard"

"Morgan you knocked the guy flat on his ass"

"I did didn't I? ? At least I know I'm still in shape" JJ raised an eyebrow at him "Hey he touched my girl what was I supposed to do?"

JJ chuckled and rolled her eyes "What am I going to do with you?"

Wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close "I could think of a few things" he replied wiggling his eyebrows

"I'm sure you could" she replied softly slapping him on his chest.

Up until about two weeks ago they had simply shared a bed falling asleep in the comfort each others arms but one night after Morgan had a particularly vivid nightmare JJ comforted him with her body. It was the first time they'd had sex since being rescued and they both needed it. It was tender and loving and they pleasured each other in the way they had always imagined they would if they ever got together. It was extremely emotional for both of them and since then they couldn't keep their hands off each other whenever they were alone. For the first time they felt like two normal people in a relationship.

JJ was sure she was falling in love with Derek Morgan.

As it had turned out Turner turned out to be a halfway decent guy. He apologized to JJ saying he didn't know who she was and if he had he would have been much more respectful than he'd been. He wouldn't accept Morgan's apology saying that if he had been in Morgan's shoes he would have reacted the exact same way only he probably would have broken his jaw.

Hotch had allowed Turner to go on several cases with the team using the instances as a gauge to see where he would fit in the best at the BAU.

From that point on things began to get even better. JJ and Morgan began easing themselves back into traveling with the team on cases staying the background at first and slowly easing themselves completely back into the fold.

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